HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Grabb, B. C. Articles by Weinbaum, D. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Grabb, B. C. Articles by Weinbaum, D. L.

Clinically Unsuspected Epiglottitis Detected by Indium-111-White Blood Cell Scintigraphy

Section of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: Judith M. Joyce, MD, Section of Nuclear Medicine, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, 4800 Friendship Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224.

ABSTRACT

A 62-yr-old woman with a history of mental retardation, paranoid psychosis and agitated depression presented with deterioration in her baseline mental status and fever. No obvious source of fever was found on clinical exam or on initial laboratory studies. An ¹¹¹In-white blood cell (¹¹¹In-WBC) study was performed 1 wk after hospital admission, which revealed increased uptake in the anterior neck and oral cavity. Subsequent laryngoscopy revealed a red, swollen epiglottis compatible with epiglottitis. While not advocating ¹¹¹In-WBC scintigraphy as part of the workup of epiglottitis, this case is presented to emphasize the possible milder presentation of epiglottitis in adults compared to children.

Key Words: epiglottitis • indium-111-white blood cell