2022 Volume 50 Issue 2 Pages 66-69
Arytenoid cartilage dislocation can occur as a complication of tracheal intubation and laryngeal trauma, but there are no reports of the development of this condition as a result of indirect video laryngoscopy. The frequency of arytenoid cartilage dislocation in oral tracheal intubation using a laryngoscope is reported to be about 0.023%-0.11%. In the presently reported case, an anterior dislocation of the left arytenoid occurred after nasal tracheal intubation during the use of an indirect McGRATHTM MAC video laryngoscope ; the dislocation healed spontaneously with conservative treatment.
The patient was a 43-year-old female (height, 155 cm ; weight, 40 kg). Bilateral mandibular angulation and implant placement were scheduled under general anesthesia for a diagnosis of mandibular hyperplasia and a mandibular left first molar defect. The tracheal tube was smoothly inserted. Anterior arytenoid cartilage dislocation during tracheal intubation was thought to have occurred due to the tip of the blade of the McGRATHTM MAC touching the posterior surface of the cricoid cartilage.
Anterior arytenoid cartilage dislocation was treated conservatively using voice training by breath-holding, vocalization and swallowing, which promotes the movement of the thyroarytenoid muscle, and spontaneously healing occurred. In cases treated using older methods, irreversible changes, such as scar formation, may occur around the joints ; thus, early consultation with an otolaryngologist is recommended.
