Graft-vs-host disease as a cause of enlargement of the epiglottis in an immunocompromised child.
We report a rare case of dyspnea due to enlargement of the epiglottis in a severely immunocompromised patient. The child underwent a previous tracheostomy at another hospital because of respiratory distress under the diagnosis of acute epiglottitis. The patient was subsequently decannulated without incident. One year later, the child developed a new episode of dyspnea with inspiratory stridor. A new tracheostomy was neccessary, and a biopsy specimen of the enlarged epiglottis was taken to confirm the diagnosis of graft-vs-host disease. The therapeutic measures in these situations are discussed below, and a review of the current literature concerning the etiology and management of epiglottic enlargement is performed.
de Diego
J I
JI
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, La Paz Hospital, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. jidediegomprim@retemail.es
Prim
M P
MP
Hardisson
D
D
del Palacio
A J
AJ
Rabanal
I
I
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D004825:Epiglottis; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male