Background Retropharyngeal calcific tendinitis (RCT) is a relatively benign condition of calcination of the longus colli muscle tendon of unknown origin, which causes severe acute neck pain. However, it is often not recognised, which leads to delayed diagnosis and unnecessary treatment. Patients and methods We have searched PubMed and Google Scholar for publications which reported at least one patient with RCT and were published in the last 20 years. The literature was then analysed according to the PRISMA-S protocol. We also report three patients with RCT presenting at the Neurological Emergency Unit, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 1 January 2020 to 1 June 2022. We discuss their clinical presentation and differential diagnosis, explain our decision-making process, and briefly describe the clinical course. Case reports have been performed according to the CARE protocol. Results We have analysed a total of 112 titles with 231 patients. The most frequent symptoms and signs were: neck pain, neck stiffness and odynophagia, as was the case in our reported cases. Conclusions RCT is a dramatic yet self-limiting condition, often not recognised in time. An effort should be made to increase neurologists’ awareness about this condition.

中文翻译：

---

神经急诊科咽后钙化性肌腱炎三例报告并文献复习

背景咽后钙化性肌腱炎（RCT）是一种相对良性的原因不明的颈长肌腱钙化病症，可导致严重的急性颈部疼痛。然而，它常常未被识别，从而导致延误诊断和不必要的治疗。患者和方法 我们在 PubMed 和 Google Scholar 中搜索了过去 20 年发表的至少报告一名 RCT 患者的出版物。然后根据 PRISMA-S 协议对文献进行分析。我们还报告了 2020 年 1 月 1 日至 2022 年 6 月 1 日在斯洛文尼亚卢布尔雅那大学医学中心神经急诊科就诊的 3 名 RCT 患者。我们讨论了他们的临床表现和鉴别诊断，解释了我们的决策过程，并简要描述了临床过程。病例报告是根据 CARE 协议进行的。结果 我们总共分析了 112 个标题、231 名患者。最常见的症状和体征是：颈部疼痛、颈部僵硬和吞咽疼痛，正如我们报告的病例中的情况一样。结论 RCT 是一种戏剧性但具有自限性的病症，通常无法及时识别。应努力提高神经科医生对这种情况的认识。