Hypoglossal nerve palsy is a rare complication of endotracheal intubation. The mechanism of nerve palsy is mainly attributed to stretching or compression of the nerve during airway manipulation. The cuff pressure can also contribute to the occurrence of hypoglossal nerve palsy. Since it is often accompanied by other cranial nerve palsies, meticulous overall cranial nerve examination is necessary. The main treatment is supportive with respiratory monitoring. The prognosis is favorable. Majority of patients achieve nearly full recovery of nerve function. Here, we report a case of unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy following usual, uneventful endotracheal intubation and review the literature.
Anesthesia ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Cranial Nerves ; Humans ; Hypoglossal Nerve Diseases* ; Hypoglossal Nerve* ; Intraoperative Complications ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Paralysis ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: The differences between neuromuscular blocking (NMB) drugs on the efficacy of intraoperative motor-evoked potential (MEP) monitoring have not been established through clinical study. We compared the effects of vecuronium and cisatracurium on the efficacy of intraoperative MEP monitoring. METHODS: We enrolled 72 patients who had undergone neurosurgery with MEP monitoring. We randomly allocated the subjects into one of two groups, in whom we maintained continuous intravenous vecuronium (Group V) or cisatracurium (Group C) infusion during the surgeries; the target partial NMB for maintenance was T1/Tc 50% (T1, first twitch of TOF response; Tc, control response of T1 before NMB drug injection). We compared the means and coefficients of variation (CV, %) of all measured MEP amplitudes and the frequencies of NMB drug dose changes. RESULTS: The means and CVs of MEP amplitude and latency in all four limbs did not differ significantly between the groups, although we did change the continuous NMB drug doses in group V significantly less often than in group C. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences between vecuronium and cisatracurium on the MEP variability and mean amplitudes. However, cisatracurium needed more frequent dose changes to maintain T1/Tc 50%.
Clinical Study ; Extremities ; Humans ; Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring ; Neuromuscular Blockade ; Neurosurgery* ; Vecuronium Bromide*