Acute epiglottitis (supraglottitis).
During an autopsy the clinician, as well as the pathologist, should insist on a culture and adequate examination of the neck. Failure to examine the neck structures in this catastrophic illness may result in an incorrect determination of the cause of death [12,13]. Many autopsy surgeons assume pneumonia is present but later find only microscopic evidence of pulmonary edema. By then the decedent has been buried. Untreated fatalities are seldom reported [3,5,14]. Future reports should include statistics from the medical examiner's or coroner's office in their jurisdiction. This will promote knowledge of the true incidence of acute epiglottitis.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004825:Epiglottis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007827:Laryngitis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged