Clinical History.—A 17-year-old boy had a two-day history of sore throat, low-grade fever, difficulty in swallowing, labored breathing, and excessive salivation. The oral cavity showed an excessive amount of saliva. The tonsils were enlarged but not exudative. The chest was clear to percussion and auscultation. A lateral roentgenographic view of the neck was obtained (Figure). Complete blood cell count showed 24,600 WBCs with 84% polymorphonuclear neutrophils 12% band forms, and 4% mononuclear cells. Hematocrit level was 46.5%. The remainder of the laboratory values were normal.
Denouement and Discussion
Acute Epiglottitis in Older Children and Young Adults
Acute epiglottitis is a disease of infancy and early childhood that has been well described with regard to both its clinical and radiological findings.1 This case of a 17-year-old patient emphasizes that identical symptoms and roentgenograms may occur in older children with Haemophilus influenzae epiglottitis, and that this entity is not as