[A 34-year-old patient with retropharyngeal tendinitis]

This article reports the case of a 34-year-old male patient presenting with neck pain, massive pressure pain of the neck muscles and limited cervical rotational mobility. Laboratory tests showed elevated levels for markers of inflammation. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected a retropharyngeal tendinitis of the longus cervicis muscle. This rare clinical entity is probably responsible for a high number of unreported cases. A CT scan, which can identify prevertebral edema and light calcification inferior to the ventral aspect of the second cervical vertebra, was previously the gold standard. Meanwhile, MRI scans now show a higher sensitivity in the detection of prevertebral edema. The first line treatment is the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).