The alar ligaments arise from both sides of the tip of the odontoid process and run obliquely cephalad to insert on the medial surface of the occipital condyles ^1,2,3. Calcification of the alar ligament is rare ^1-4. This condition should be differentiated from fractures of craniovertebral junction, as well as from crowned dens syndrome ^1,4.

The present case illustrates the typical features of focal calcification in the right alar ligament, associated with neck pain.