An unexpected difficult laryngoscopy.
A case of unexpected difficult laryngoscopy in a patient with gross hydrocephalus and generalized hypertonus is described. The 30-month-old girl had no antecedent history of such difficulty, having had two recent uneventful anaesthetics. We suggest that the reason for our inability to open the patient's mouth was a result of contracture of the temporalis muscle. The patient was managed using a laryngeal mask airway with controlled ventilation.
D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020878:Device Removal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000379:methods*; D017214:Laryngeal Masks; D007828:Laryngoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D009122:Muscle Hypertonia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D013703:Temporal Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt