Abstract
An 80-year-old man was transferred to our hospital because of cardiopulmonary arrest. On arrival at our hospital, the patient had spontaneous circulation with normal blood pressure and agonal breathing; therefore, we performed tracheal intubation and started mechanical ventilation. Approximately 8 days after admission, the patient recovered consciousness but was lethargic. At this time point, we found that the patient had quadriplegia and had lost sensation under the neck. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine showed a periodontoid mass compressing the cervical spine at the C1-2 level. Computed tomography (CT) of the cervical spine showed flowing ossification along the anterior aspect of the vertebral body at the C2-8 level, which met Utsinger's criteria. We diagnosed this periodontoid mass as the cause of cardiopulmonary arrest that occurred after cervical spine injury and respiratory arrest. Forty-one days after admission to our hospital, the patient was transferred to another hospital for rehabilitation. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of cardiopulmonary arrest with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). Knowledge regarding reversible causes of cardiopulmonary arrest is important with regard to resuscitation, and health care personnel should be aware that cervical spine injury is one such reversible factor.
