Progressive dysphagia and dyspnoea presenting after major neck trauma can occasionally be secondary to post-traumatic inflammation and mass effect associated with a calcified osteophytic anterior longitudinal ligament, a frequent finding in diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, though rarely enough to cause such symptoms. In these circumstances, surgical decompression may prove effective.
Keywords: anterior longitudinal ligament; cervical spine; diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis; dysphagia; dyspnoea.