Unilateral hypoglossal nerve paralysis following the use of the laryngeal mask airway

Abstract

We report a unilateral hypoglossal nerve paralysis following the use of a laryngeal mask airway in a 62 year‐old women with rheumatoid arthritis undegoing a shoulder joint replancement,. Cervical epidural anesthesia was vombined with general anaesthesia using nitrous oxide administrered via a larygeal mask airway with a the patient in the right lateral decubitus postion. The next morning, the patient was noted to have a right hypoglossal nerve palsy. compression of the nerve between the laryngeal mask airway cuff. distended with nitrous oxide, and the hyoid bone, was considered to be the cause ot the nerve paralysis. Copyright © 1994, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved