TITLE:
Double Cervical Bird Beak Sign Resulting in Dysphagia
AUTHORS:
Alp Yurter, Paul E. Kaloostian
KEYWORDS:
Dysphagia; Anterior Longitudinal Ligament; Cervical Spine; Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis; Ossification; Calcification
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Neurosurgery,
Vol.3 No.4,
October
15,
2013
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.