Delayed diagnosis of arytenoid cartilage dislocation after tracheal intubation in the intensive care unit: A case report

Hoarseness and arytenoid dislocation: A rare complication after facial bony contouring surgery

BACKGROUND

Arytenoid dislocation is a rare complication after endotracheal intubation and may result in permanent hoarseness, which cannot be tolerated during cosmetic surgeries, such as facial bony contouring surgery. This study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics of this patient subgroup and share the process of diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected the medical records of patients who underwent facial bony contouring surgery under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation from September 2017 to July 2022. We divided the patients into a nondislocation group and a dislocation group. Demographic, anesthetic, and surgical characteristics were collected and compared.

RESULTS

441 patients were enrolled, and 5 (1.1%) were diagnosed with arytenoid dislocation. The patients in the dislocation group were more likely to be intubated with the video laryngoscope (P = 0.049), and head-neck movement during surgery may predispose patients to arytenoid dislocation (P = 0.019). The patients in the dislocation group were diagnosed around 5-37 days after surgery. Three of them regained their normal voice after close reduction, and two recovered with speech therapy.

CONCLUSION

Arytenoid dislocation may result from multiple factors instead of one high-risk factor. Head-neck movement, the skills and experience of anesthetists, the time of intubation, and the use of intubation tools may all predispose patients to arytenoid dislocation. To acquire timely diagnosis and treatment, patients should be fully informed of this complication before surgery and observed closely afterward. Any postoperative voice or laryngeal symptoms lasting more than 7 days need a specialist evaluation.

High prevalence of postoperative arytenoid dislocation in patients undergoing liver transplantation: A case-control study

Arytenoid dislocation (AD) is a rare complication of surgery under general anesthesia. The potential factors for AD remain poorly defined, and the identification of risk factors is beneficial for reducing its incidence. We found that patients undergoing liver transplantation appeared to be more susceptible to postoperative AD at our hospital. The present study was designed to clarify this issue. A retrospective hospital-based case-control study was conducted in patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia between 2017 and 2021. Recorded data for all patients were age, sex, body weight, height, body mass index, position of patients during surgery, duration of surgery, emergency status of surgery, and liver transplantation. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine risk factors for AD. Thirty thousand one hundred fifty-four patients who underwent general anesthesia between 2017 and 2021 were included. Sixteen (0.05%) patients were diagnosed with AD, including 10 (3.9%) patients among 259 patients who underwent liver transplantation and 6 patients had complications among the 29,895 patients who underwent other operations (P < .0001). Postoperative AD incidence was significantly elevated in patients undergoing liver transplantation. This finding should be clinically relevant and alarming for anesthesiologists and clinicians to help avoid arytenoid dislocation and improve patient outcomes. Further studies that incorporate detailed data are needed to determine risk factors for AD.