Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Goldenhar syndrome is a congenital disease that involves an absence or underdevelopment of structures that arise from the first and second pharyngeal arches and more or less severe extracranial anomalies. A variety of supraglottic malformations may be observed, including mandibular hypoplasia, mandibular asymmetry and micrognathia. Subglottic airway stenosis (SGS), which can cause difficulties in airway management during the perioperative period, is seldom emphasized in literature descriptions of Goldenhar syndrome, but can be clinically significant. CASE PRESENTATION: An 18-year-old female with a history of Goldenhar syndrome presented for placement of a right mandibular distractor, right retroauricular dilator, and stage I transfer of a prefabricated expanded flap under general anesthesia. During tracheal intubation, the endotracheal tube (ETT) met resistance unexpectantly when attempting to pass through the glottis. Subsequently, we attempted the procedure with a smaller size ETT but again met resistance. With fiberoptic bronchoscope, we found that the whole segment of the trachea and bilateral bronchi were obvious narrow. Given the finding of unexpected severe airway stenosis and the associated risks with proceeding with the surgery, the operation was cancelled. We removed the ETT once the patient was fully awake. CONCLUSIONS: Anesthesiologists should be aware of this clinical finding when evaluating the airway of a patient with Goldenhar syndrome. Coronal and sagittal measurements on computerized tomography (CT) and three-dimensional image reconstruction can be used to evaluate the degree of subglottic airway stenosis and measure the diameter of the trachea.
Source: BMC Anesthesiology
Authors: Fei Xing, Xiao ming Deng, Dong Yang
Language: English
Subfield: Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,790
OpenAlex ID: W4380989630