1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Bethesda Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0541
In Reply.
We thank Kirpalani et al for their interest in our article1 and their comments. We also read with interest their report,2 which was published while our article was in press, and which confirms that survival is possible after necrotizing tracheobronchitis. Furthermore, we speculate that many "mild" cases of necrotizing tracheobronchitis may have not been recognized in the past, when obstruction was relieved solely by suctioning, and the "mucous plug" was not examined histologically.
Treatment of necrotizing tracheobronchitis will probably be the source of controversy in future years.