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Longus Colli Tendinitis

  • John V. Ashurst and Kevin R. Weaver
Published/Copyright: March 1, 2014
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Journal of Osteopathic Medicine
From the journal Journal of Osteopathic Medicine Volume 114 Issue 3

A 44-year-old woman presented with a 4-day history of posterior neck pain with associated odynophagia. She denied any previous neck pain, trauma, or upper respiratory infections. Examination revealed bilateral posterior neck pain with decreased active and passive range of motion and tenderness with movement of the hyoid bone. Soft tissue neck radiograph revealed prevertebral soft tissue swelling (image A), and a computed tomography scan depicted calcification of the longus colli muscle (image B). The patient was subsequently discharged home on anti-inflammatory medication and was encouraged to follow up with her primary care physician.

Longus colli tendinitis was first described in 1964 and is probably underdiagnosed because of nonspecific patient complaints.1 Patients present with subacute to acute neck pain, limitation of motion, and odynophagia.2 Although a cervical radiograph of the enlarged retropharyngeal space can indicate longus colli tendinitis, it may not show subtle calcification in the tendon.2 Definitive diagnosis is made with computed tomography depicting a calcium deposit in the longus colli.2 Conservative treatment with oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy is recommended.2

From the Lehigh Valley Health Network Department of Emergency Medicine in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Address correspondence to John V. Ashurst, DO, Lehigh Valley Health Network, 2545 Schoenersville Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18017-7300. E-mail:

  1. Financial Disclosures: None reported.

References

1 Horowitz G Ben-Ari O Brenner A Fliss DM Wasserzug O . Incidence of retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis (longus colli tenditis) in the general population. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.2013;148(6):955-958. doi:10.1177/0194599813482289.10.1177/0194599813482289Search in Google Scholar PubMed

2 Paik NC Lim CS Jang HS . Tendinitis of the longus colli: computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and clinical spectra of 9 cases. J Comput Assist Tomogr.2012;36(6):755-761. doi:10.1097/RCT.0b013e318269880c.10.1097/RCT.0b013e318269880cSearch in Google Scholar PubMed

Received: 2013-04-22
Revised: 2013-09-07
Accepted: 2013-09-24
Published Online: 2014-03-01
Published in Print: 2014-03-01

© 2014 The American Osteopathic Association

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2014.040
Creative Commons
BY-NC-ND 4.0

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Editorial
  2. Is the Osteopathic Medical Profession Prepared for a Radiologic or Nuclear Incident?
  3. Letters
  4. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Tarsal Somatic Dysfunction: A Case Study
  5. AOA Communication
  6. JAOA Peer Reviewers, 2013
  7. Original Contribution
  8. Preliminary Findings on the Use of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: Outcomes During the Formation of the Practice-Based Research Network, DO-Touch.NET
  9. Vestibular Dysfunction in Patients With Chronic Pain or Underlying Neurologic Disorders
  10. Brief Report
  11. Qualitative Evaluation of Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy in a Patient With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Brief Report
  12. Clinical Practice
  13. Management of Ionizing Radiation Injuries and Illnesses, Part 1: Physics, Radiation Protection, and Radiation Instrumentation
  14. Special Communication
  15. The “Doctor of Osteopathy”: Expanding the Scope of Practice
  16. Case Report
  17. Digoxin as a Treatment for Patients With Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
  18. Clinical Images
  19. Longus Colli Tendinitis
  20. In Your Words
  21. A Different View of the Middle East
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