Brucellar spondylitis presenting with neck stiffness and accompanying retropharyngeal inflammatory soft tissue mass

Abstract

Brucellosis is a systemic inflammatory condition caused most commonly by Brucella Melitensis, a gram negative coccobacilli which is transmitted by infected animals and their products. Ondulent fever, night sweats and generalized weakness are the most common clinical symptoms but the wide spectrum of complaints can even include psychiatric disorders. We present a case who had neck stiffness and difficulty in neck movement as the initial complaints and radiologically, retropharyngeal soft tissue swelling at upper cervical level in MRI. This case report reveals the value of MRI in the further characterisation of pharyngeal involvement by brucellosis with an atypical presentation.