Surgical Intervention of Dysphagia Caused by Ossification of Anterior Longitudinal Ligament: A Case Report.

Ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament (OALL) in the cervical spine is a common entity but rarely causes dysphagia, dyspnea, and dysphonia. We report an OALL case which causes such symptoms. A 47-year-old female patient had a complaint of progressive difficulty swallowing for 2 months. A cervical X-ray and computerized tomography scan were taken afterward, which showed OALL at the C3-7 level. She then had esophageal endoscopy to rule out other dysphagia-related disorders. The patient underwent anterior osteotomy via anterior cervical approach with significant relief of dysphagia postoperatively. Surgical management in symptomatic OALL improves dysphagia and prevents its secondary complications.