Ear, nose, & throat journal
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Case Reports
Rheumatoid pannus of the cervical spine: a case report of an unusual cause of dysphagia.
Dysphagia as an initial complaint in rheumatoid arthritis is rare. We describe the case of a 69-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who presented with a 2-day history of acute dysphagia. ⋯ Although the otolaryngologic manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis usually relate to synovial involvement of the temporomandibular and cricoarytenoid joints, our case establishes that a rheumatoid pannus on the anterior cervical spine can cause dysphagia. We believe that this may be the first reported case of this clinical entity.