[Tubercular spondylitis with retropharyngeal abscess].

In the industrialized countries, the last 15 years have seen an increasing rate of cases of tuberculosis. However, upper cervical spine tuberculosis involving a cold retropharyngeal abscess is extremely rare. We report on a 58 year old female from Sri Lanka presenting with unspecific neck pain and stiffness. She was diagnosed as having extensive tubercular osteodestruction of the second cervical spine body, including epidural and large retropharyngeal abscesses.