Challenges in Diagnosing Adult Epiglottitis: Limitations of CT Scan
Journal Title: Advances in Food Technology and Nutritional Sciences - Open Journal - Year 2015, Vol 1, Issue 2
Abstract
Adult Epiglottitis (AE) is a life-threatening but uncommon condition which presents with non-specific symptoms such as sore throat and odynophagia. Because CT scan is readily available in the Emergency Department (ED), it is often used to evaluate adult patients with AE when laryngoscopy is not available and examination inadequate and to exclude other ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) emergencies. However, up to this date, there is no report of CT scan accuracy in evaluating AE in our literature. Our case is a 26 year old African American female who complains of sore throat and odynophagia after she ate at a barbecue 8 hour prior to the ED visit. On examination, VS (Vital Signs) were stable, throat revealed marked erythema without any peritonsillar abscess. Neck was supple without any cervical adenopathy - Chest=clear, no rales/ronchi - The rest of the exam was within normal limits. Initial CT scan of the neck was read as normal by the on call Radiologist. A direct laryngoscopy had shown findings consistent with acute epiglottitis. Repeat CT scan 24 hours after ED visit confirmed the diagnosis of AE. Patient was started on IV steroids and antibiotics and admitted to ICU. Our case illustrates the challenges facing the Emergency Physicians in diagnosing AE. It reports the role and limitations of CT scan in evaluating AE in the ED.
Authors and Affiliations
Georges Ramalanjaona
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP546223
- DOI 10.17140/EMOJ-1-101
- Views 143
- Downloads 0
Microbial Resources to Safeguard Future Food Security
For thousands of years, microorganisms have been used to process foods and to produce a variety of useful compounds, including organic acids and enzymes from fermented food products. Currently microorganisms have been em...
Ginger and its Effects on Inflammatory Diseases
Today, Ginger is used as a spice all around the world. In the past, Ginger was consumed for the treatment of various diseases, including osteo-arthritis, neurological diseases, vomiting, asthma, and so on. It seems that...
Microbial Safety of Foods in the Supply Chain and Food Security
Most foodborne outbreaks in recent years have been linked to microbial contamination of food products. These food outbreaks can cause considerable food losses, and hence can play a role in global food insecurity. We disc...
Red Natural Colors for High pH Applications
It is said that we taste with our eyes. Colors have a tremendous influence on choice of foods. Natural colors are seeing a huge demand because of consumer trends shifting towards natural ingredients. Common natural color...
New Strategies for Tracing Foodstuffs: Biological Barcodes Utilising PCR-DGGE
Traceability of foods is undertaken primarily at the administrative level, and the use of advanced analytical tools is rare. Nevertheless, the determination of geographical origin is a demand of the traceability system f...