Incidence of retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis (longus colli tendinitis) in the general population

Objective. To determine the incidence of retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis (longus colli tendinitis) in a general urban adult population. Study Design. Observational study in a municipal medical center. Setting. Single tertiary referral center. Methods. All symptomatic patients with a differential diagnosis of retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis underwent fiberoptic assessment, laboratory studies, and imaging studies. The main outcome measure was the incidence of retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis. Results. Thirteen patients with symptoms suggestive of retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis were evaluated in our institution between January 2008 and December 2011. Final diagnosis was made by means of a computed tomographic scan: 8 patients had retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis, 1 had retropharyngeal abscess, and the remaining 4 had other deep neck infections. The mean annual crude retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis incidence was 0.50 cases per 100,000 person-years, and the standardized incidence was 1.31 for the age-matched population. Conclusions. Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis is not a rare disease and is probably underdiagnosed because symptoms are nonspecific, treating physicians are often unfamiliar with this entity, and it is a self-limiting pathology.