Graft-vs-host disease as a cause of enlargement of the epiglottis in an immunocompromised child.

We report a rare case of dyspnea due to enlargement of the epiglottis in a severely immunocompromised patient. The child underwent a previous tracheostomy at another hospital because of respiratory distress under the diagnosis of acute epiglottitis. The patient was subsequently decannulated without incident. One year later, the child developed a new episode of dyspnea with inspiratory stridor. A new tracheostomy was neccessary, and a biopsy specimen of the enlarged epiglottis was taken to confirm the diagnosis of graft-vs-host disease. The therapeutic measures in these situations are discussed below, and a review of the current literature concerning the etiology and management of epiglottic enlargement is performed.