A spasm of the throat muscles with a sharp intake of breath which occurs when the larynx is irritated, as in children who have croup.
Spasm of the larynx caused by sudden contraction of the laryngeal muscles, often marked by sudden and noisy in-drawing of breath, sometimes associated with croup or irritation of the larynx (e.g., from inhaled anesthetic or a foreign body).
Closure of the vocal cords by sudden contraction of the laryngeal muscles, followed by a noisy indrawing of breath. It occurs in young children and was in the past associated with low-calcium rickets. Now it occurs when the larynx has been irritated following administration of anesthetic, when a foreign body has lodged in the larynx, or in croup.