Steeple sign

In radiology, the steeple sign is a radiologic sign found on a frontal neck radiograph where subglottic tracheal narrowing produces the shape of a church steeple within the trachea itself. The presence of the steeple sign supports a diagnosis of croup, usually caused by paramyxoviruses. it can also be defined as the replacement of the usual squared-shoulder appearance of the subglottic area  by cone shaped narrowing just distal to the vocal cords. This is called the steeple or pencil-point sign.

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Frontal radiograph demonstrating steeple sign

Category:Radiologic signs
Category:Respiratory system imaging