Cricoarytenoiditis as a cause of acute airway obstruction in children.

A 4-1/2-year-old girl with a one-year history of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was admitted with severe respiratory distress requiring endotracheal intubation. Arthritis of the cricoarytenoid joint was diagnosed and she responded well to intubation and high-dose steroids. Although well described in adults, this is only the third case report of a child afflicted with arthritis of the cricoarytenoid joint.