[A rare cause of dysphagia: Forestier's disease].

Forestier's disease is a rare rheumatologic disease characterized by ossification in various spinal and extraspinal ligaments especially the anterior longitudinal ligament. The hypertrophic bone proliferations seen in cervical involvement may be so extensive causing dysphagia. We present Forestier's disease as a rare cause of dysphagia with clinical and radiological findings. An 80-year-old male was admitted for 2-3 months' increasing dysphagia and sore throat. Examination of the oropharynx revealed a 3 cm painless, hard swelling posterior to the epiglottis. A large area of ossification was detected in the anterior portion of the C2-7 vertebrae on lateral cervical roentgenogram. Neck computed tomography revealed bridging hyperosseous changes in the anterior longitudinal ligament between the C2-7 vertebrae and narrowing of the pharyngeal passage. A lesion with similar intensity to adjacent vertebrae and heterogeneous appearance lying along the anterior longitudinal ligament was seen on cervical magnetic resonance imaging. We interpreted the large osseous lesion to be an ossified anterior longitudinal ligament causing dysphagia, and a diagnosis of Forestier's disease was based on these findings. Forestier's disease must be kept in mind as a rare etiology in the differential diagnosis of dysphagia.