Facial paralysis after spine surgery : A case report

Roh, Go Un; Han, Dong Woo; Lee, Jong Seok; Nam, Sang Beom; Na, Sungwon

Case Report

General Article

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine 2009;4(2):187-189.
Published online April 30, 2009.

Facial paralysis after spine surgery : A case report

Go Un Roh, Dong Woo Han, Jong Seok Lee, Sang Beom Nam, Sungwon Na

¹Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. nswksj@yuhs.ac
²Anesthesia and Pain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea .

Abstract

diopathic facial nerve paralysis after surgery is not common but has clinical significance. We report a case of facial nerve paralysis in the immediate postanesthetic period after cervical spine surgery. A 41-year-old man with cervical herniated disc was scheduled for cervical laminectomy. After uneventful surgery, he suffered from left facial numbness and weakness. Imaging study and audiogram couldn't reveal any anatomic abnormality except Thornwaldt cyst. Conservative treatment with steroids and antivirals resolved his symptoms until 16th day after surgery.

Key Words: complication, facial nerve paralysis, general anesthesia, spine surgery