Dysphagia, Due to Massive Cervical Exostoses

Abstract

ONLY WITHIN the last decade have large exostoses of the cervical spine with encroachment on the cervical esophagus been observed as a cause of dysphagia. Cumming's¹ analysis of "One Hundred Cases of Esophageal Diseases" mentions only one case of compression from without, which was due to Hodgkin's disease. He suggests aneurysm as the only other cause of external compression. Fugazzola² reported his two cases as interesting curiosities. He thought that this clinical entity had been overlooked as a definite cause of esophageal obstruction. Report of a Case A 66-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a complaint of progressive dysphagia of three years' duration. He was able to swallow carefully selected foods and liquids with great difficulty. One month before, almost complete esophageal obstruction developed. He was short with a thick neck. His general appearance showed marked dehydration and weight loss. Physical and laboratory examinations revealed no