[A case of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis presenting dysphagia and restrictive ventilatory impairment].

We report a 65-years-old man suffering from slowly progressive dyspnea of four years' clinical history followed by dysphagia. His range of motion was severely restricted in the four extremities and trunk, however, neither motor weakness nor sensory disturbance was noted. Radiographic examination showed diffuse osteophyte formation in front of whole vertebrae but no apparent change was observed in the sacroiliac joint. These radiographic features suggested the diagnosis of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) in this patient. We consider that the restrictive ventilatory impairment in the present patient was due to the decreased thoracic cage compliance caused by hyperostosis of thoracic costovertebral joints, and the prominent osteophyte formation in front of the cervical vertebrae compressing esophagus was responsible for dysphagia.