Table 6.

Radiological differential diagnosis of croup

Anteroposterior anterior neck radiograph can help to establish an alternative diagnosis in patients with atypical disease.
• Cone-shaped narrowing instead of the normal squared shoulder appearance of the subglottic area suggests croup.
• A ragged edge or a membrane spanning the trachea suggests bacterial tracheitis.
• Thickening of epiglottis and aryepiglottic folds suggest epiglottitis.
• Bulging of the posterior pharynx soft tissue suggests retropharyngeal abscess.

* Reproduced from: Toward Optimized Practice (TOP) Working Group for Croup: Guideline for the diagnosis and management of croup. Alberta, Canada: Edmonton (AB); 2003 (revised 2008). [72]