Epiglottis calcification: forgotten cause of dysphagia in elderly population

Abstract

Abstract Background Dysphagia is a relatively common clinical issue in elderly population with numerous causes, which are divided into oropharyngeal and substernal categories. Most of the causes of dysphagia can be diagnosed easily with clinical and radiological examinations. However, we encountered a rare cause of dysphagia in an elderly patient, which can be missed easily during diagnostic workup, that entity is epiglottis calcification. Case presentation A 91-year-old male presented with complaints of recurrent aspirations and difficulty in swallowing. Physical examination revealed no abnormalities in the oral cavity, pharynx and nose. Flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopic examination was performed, which mildly swollen and posteriorly moved epiglottis with limited mobility during swallowing. Computed tomography scan of the larynx revealed significant asymmetric amorphous calcification of the free edge of the aryepiglottic, pharyngoepiglottic, and epiglottis folds. Conclusions Although dysphagia is a common problem in elderly, it has serious complications such as recurrent aspirations, pneumonia and nutritional deficiency. One of the rare causes of dysphagia in elderly is epiglottic calcifications, which impairs its flexibility and the functionality, and may predispose to difficulty in swallowing and recurrent aspirations.