진단받지 않은 후두개와 후두개곡사이낭종으로 인한 어려운 기관 내 삽관

Difficult endotracheal intubation due to an undiagnosed vallecular and epiglottic cyst

Laryngeal cyst in adults is a rare condition. However, if these cysts are unexpectedly discovered after anesthesia induction, an emergency situation immediately poses a life-threatening condition if proper airway management is not done. The authors report that in the case of difficult intubation tubes after anesthesia induction caused by laryngeal cyst, which was not diagnosed as asymptomatic, the oral intubation was successful without complication using the Clarus Video System (Clarus Medical, USA), an semi-rigid optical stylet. A 67-year-old male presented for laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. We discovered an undiagnosed epiglottic cyst obscuring laryngeal inlet. Fortunately, mask ventilation was possible, and after failed attempts of direct laryngoscopy, we could perform oral semi-rigid optical stylet-aided intubation. We experienced difficult intubation due to laryngeal cyst, which had no symptoms of respiratory closures before anesthesia, and in such cases it is believed that systematic preparation for “difficult airways” should be made to prevent hypoxic damage that can result from unexpected intubation failure.