Bull Neck

bull neck

n.

A heavy, thick neck caused by hypertrophied muscles or enlarged cervical lymph nodes.

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Bull Neck

Emergency medicine A short, thick neck—more common in severely obese patients—which inhibits mobility and makes visualisation of the larynx difficult during laryngoscopy
Infectious disease A popular term for prominent and acute cervical lymphadenopathy associated with pitting edema, which is warm, tender and affects children over age 6; the change may cover the sternocleidomastoid muscle’s border; the ‘bull neck’ is seen in children with epiglottitis who present with agitation, a muffled cry, shortness of breath, cyanosis, drooling, dysphagia, due to H influenzae B, Corynebacteria diphtheriae, or rarely, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus

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bull neck

Infectious disease A popular term for prominent and acute cervical lymphadenopathy associated with pitting edema, which is warm, tender and affects children over age 6; the change may be so extensive as to cover the sternocleidomastoid muscle's border; it is typically seen in children with epiglottitis who present with agitation, a muffled cry, SOB, cyanosis, drooling and dysphagia, due to H influenzae type B, Corynebacteria diphtheriae and rarely, S pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus