Abstract
The present study indicates that conservative therapy should be chosen initially and repeated operation is not recommended. were adults with the age ranged from 20 to 81 years. The ratio of male to female was 2.6: 1.
The majority of the patients had a sore throat, odynophagia and dysphagia with mild to severe fever. Some patients complained of dyspnea increased in the supine position and decreased in the sitting position, suggesting that a swollen epiglottis dropped down backwards to obstruct the laryngeal orifice in the supine position. This kind of dyspnea is a characteristic symptom in acute epiglottitis.
Tracheotomy was performed in two and tracheal intubation in one, and no death occurred.
Lateral neck roentgenograms were obtained in 16 cases in the course of acute epiglottitis.
The diagnosis of the disease was roentgenographically confirmed in 81 per cent of the cases, but in each case the diagnosis had been made initially by indirect laryngoscopy. The intervals between the onset of symptoms and doctor contact and hospitalization were within 7 days.
Antibiotic therapy was done in most cases. Most signs and symptoms resolved in three to five days, with a dramatic decrease in pain and dysphagia within 24 hours.
Epiglottic swelling resolved in seven to eleven days and 70 per cent of the cases were discharged within that time.
