Foreign body in the vallecula presenting as acute epiglottitis

Saudi Med J · Sep 2005

Case Reports

Foreign body in the vallecula presenting as acute epiglottitis with unilateral supraglottitis.

Life threatening inflammatory swelling of the epiglottic and supraglottic regions secondary to a foreign body in the vallecula is an unusual occurrence. Upper airway obstruction is potentially a life threatening sequela. We present a unique case of acute epiglottitis with unilateral supraglottitis secondary to foreign body in the vallecula, which gradually improved after emergency endotracheal intubation for respiratory arrest, followed by intensive conservative management with intravenous antibiotics, cortisone and intravenous fluids. This case emphasizes that a foreign body in the vallecula presenting with severe dysphagia should be taken seriously as it may lead to life threatening complications.

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- Latifi Asrar, Nureni Oyetunji, Sayed S Raza, and Imranulhaque Zeyaulhaque.
- Department of ENT, Buraidah Central Hospital and King Fahd SpecialistHospital, Buraidah, AlQassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.. latifiasrar@hotmail.com
- Saudi Med J. 2005 Sep 1; 26 (9): 1449-52.
AbstractLife threatening inflammatory swelling of the epiglottic and supraglottic regions secondary to a foreign body in the vallecula is an unusual occurrence. Upper airway obstruction is potentially a life threatening sequela. We present a unique case of acute epiglottitis with unilateral supraglottitis secondary to foreign body in the vallecula, which gradually improved after emergency endotracheal intubation for respiratory arrest, followed by intensive conservative management with intravenous antibiotics, cortisone and intravenous fluids. This case emphasizes that a foreign body in the vallecula presenting with severe dysphagia should be taken seriously as it may lead to life threatening complications.

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Foreign body in the vallecula presenting as acute epiglottitis with unilateral supraglottitis.

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