<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec><h3>Background</h3>
<p>Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis (RCT) is a relatively benign condition of calcination of the longus colli muscle tendon of unknown origin, which causes severe acute neck pain. However, it is often not recognised, which leads to delayed diagnosis and unnecessary treatment.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Patients and methods</h3>
<p>We have searched PubMed and Google Scholar for publications which reported at least one patient with RCT and were published in the last 20 years. The literature was then analysed according to the PRISMA-S protocol. We also report three patients with RCT presenting at the Neurological Emergency Unit, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 1 January 2020 to 1 June 2022. We discuss their clinical presentation and differential diagnosis, explain our decision-making process, and briefly describe the clinical course. Case reports have been performed according to the CARE protocol.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Results</h3>
<p>We have analysed a total of 112 titles with 231 patients. The most frequent symptoms and signs were: neck pain, neck stiffness and odynophagia, as was the case in our reported cases.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>RCT is a dramatic yet self-limiting condition, often not recognised in time. An effort should be made to increase neurologists’ awareness about this condition.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>

Background
Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis (RCT) is a relatively benign condition of calcination of the longus colli muscle tendon of unknown origin, which causes severe acute neck pain. However, it is often not recognised, which leads to delayed diagnosis and unnecessary treatment.

Patients and methods
We have searched PubMed and Google Scholar for publications which reported at least one patient with RCT and were published in the last 20 years. The literature was then analysed according to the PRISMA-S protocol. We also report three patients with RCT presenting at the Neurological Emergency Unit, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 1 January 2020 to 1 June 2022. We discuss their clinical presentation and differential diagnosis, explain our decision-making process, and briefly describe the clinical course. Case reports have been performed according to the CARE protocol.

Results
We have analysed a total of 112 titles with 231 patients. The most frequent symptoms and signs were: neck pain, neck stiffness and odynophagia, as was the case in our reported cases.

Conclusions
RCT is a dramatic yet self-limiting condition, often not recognised in time. An effort should be made to increase neurologists’ awareness about this condition.

Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis in the neurological emergency unit, report of three cases and review of the literature

Institute of Clinical Neurophysiology, Division of Neurology

Radiology and Oncology

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

Background
Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis (RCT) is a relatively benign condition of calcination of the longus colli muscle tendon of unknown origin, which...

Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis in the neurological emergency unit, report of three cases and review of the literature

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Nov 30, 2023

Page range: 430 - 435

Received: Jul 04, 2023

Accepted: Aug 17, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2023-0045

Keywords
retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis

© 2023 Tatjana Filipovic et al., published by Sciendo

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

Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis in the neurological emergency unit, report of three cases and review of the literature

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Nov 30, 2023

Page range: 430 - 435

Received: Jul 04, 2023

Accepted: Aug 17, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2023-0045

Keywordsretropharyngeal calcific tendinitis

© 2023 Tatjana Filipovic et al., published by Sciendo

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

Keywords
retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis