Laryngeal papillomatosis presenting as acute airway obstruction in a child

Upper airway obstruction, regardless of cause, can masquerade or be misdiagnosed as lower airway disease in children. In such cases, therapeutic trials of antibiotics, bronchodilators, and over-the-counter medications for symptom relief routinely fail; however, the original diagnosis often goes unchallenged. If the obstructive process is progressive, then acute occlusion of the airway may occur, rapidly leading to suffocation and death if resuscitation is unsuccessful. Outlined in this report is the case of a young female with a history of asthma, poorly responsive to outpatient treatment, who presented with respiratory arrest. The cause of the respiratory collapse was later identified as a large laryngeal papilloma, a condition rarely encountered by emergency physicians.