Angioneurotic edema has been described by Jackson1 as a disease characterized by transient circumscribed edematous swellings on mucosal or epidermal surfaces or on both. The larynx alone may be involved, but more commonly there are associated lesions in the gastrointestinal tract, esophagus, mouth, tongue, pharynx, lips, eyelids, skin or genitalia.
There are many causes of edema of the larynx, for example, acute infections of the pharynx and the larynx; disorders following ingestion of hot liquids or foods; inhalation of powerful chemicals; nephritic and cardiac conditions; prolonged use of iodides; foreign bodies in the piriform sinuses, bronchi or upper part of the esophagus; tuberculosis, syphilis, leprosy and neoplasms of the larynx, and wounds of the larynx. The distinction between the angioneurotic type of laryngeal edema and the conditions just named presents little difficulty. The typical picture of angioneurotic laryngeal edema is that of a patient suddenly seized with a tickling cough,