Double Cervical Bird Beak Sign Resulting in Dysphagia

Abstract

Objective: The authors report a rare case of ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament in the cervical spine underlying dysphagia. Case Report: We report the case of a 50-year-old male presenting with difficulty swallowing and choking. CT of the cervical spine demonstrated anterior longitudinal ligament hypertrophy with osteophytes worst at C1-C2 and C6-C7, without spinal cord compression. A videofluoroscopic swallow study revealed reduced epiglottic inversion and hyolaryngeal elevation resulting in incomplete clearance from the pharynx, as well as compression of the esophagus. Subsequently, the patient underwent osteophytectomy. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. Two weeks after the surgery, videofluoroscopic swallow demonstrated improved function and reduced compression. Four weeks postoperatively, the patient completely regained swallowing function without pain.

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A. Yurter and P. E. Kaloostian, "Double Cervical Bird Beak Sign Resulting in Dysphagia," Open Journal of Modern Neurosurgery, Vol. 3 No. 4, 2013, pp. 63-65. doi: 10.4236/ojmn.2013.34014.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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