Traumatic pharyngeal perforation secondary to a syndesmophyte.

We report the case of a 57-year-old man who presented at the emergency department with injuries to his face and head after falling down the stairs. A head computed tomography examination done because he complained of an intense headache revealed air bubbles in the retropharyngeal space. Given this finding, a computed tomography of the neck was done to evaluate the possibility of pharyngeal perforation. Traumatic pharyngeal perforations are uncommon, but those caused by the calcification of the anterior longitudinal ligament, as in our case, are even more uncommon.