Subglottic edema in acute epiglottitis in children

Analysis of airway radiographs of 20 children with proven acute epiglottitis revealed that five (25%) had, in addition to supraglottic edema, localized subglottic edema radiographically indistinguishable from that seen in croup. In all five patients the etiologic organism was Hemophilus influenzae type B.