J Dent Anesth Pain Med.  2015 Jun;15(2):93-96.

Diplopia after inferior alveolar nerve block: case report and related physiology

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Advanced General Dentistry, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea. bestdenmin@naver.com

Abstract

Although inferior alveolar nerve block is one of the most common procedures performed at dental clinics, complications or adverse effects can still occur. On rare occasions, ocular disturbances, such as diplopia, blurred vision, amaurosis, mydriasis, abnormal pupillary light reflex, retrobulbar pain, miosis, and enophthalmos, have also been reported after maxillary and mandibular anesthesia. Generally, these symptoms are temporary but they can be rather distressing to both patients and dental practitioners. Herein, we describe a case of diplopia caused by routine inferior alveolar nerve anesthesia, its related physiology, and management.

Keyword

Complications; Diplopia; Inferior alveolar nerve block

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia
Blindness
Dental Clinics
Diplopia*
Enophthalmos
Humans
Mandibular Nerve*
Miosis
Mydriasis
Physiology*
Reflex

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Arterial relationship between the inferior alveolar nerve injection site and the orbit.

  • Fig. 2 Venous relationship between the inferior alveolar nerve injection site and the orbit.


Reference

1. Malamed S. Handbook of local anesthesia. 5th ed. St Louis: Mosby;2004.
2. The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology. Dental Anesthesiology. 2nd ed. Seoul: Koonja;2010.
3. Steenen SA, Dubois L, Saeed P, de Lange J. Ophthalmologic complications after intraoral local anesthesia: case report and review of literature. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2012; 113:e1–e5.
Article
4. Boynes SG, Echeverria Z, Abdulwahab M. Ocular complications associated with local anesthesia administration in dentistry. Dent Clin North Am. 2010; 54:677–686.
Article
5. Choi EH, Seo JY, Jung BY, Park W. Diplopia after inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia: report of 2 cases and literature review. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2009; 107:e21–e24.
Article
6. Ngeow WC, Shim CK, Chai WL. Transient loss of power of accommodation in 1 eye following inferior alveolar nerve block: report of 2 cases. J Can Dent Assoc. 2006; 72:927–931.
7. Rood JP. Ocular complication of inferior dental nerve block. A case report. Br Dent J. 1972; 132:23–24.
Article
8. Uckan S, Cilasun U, Erkman O. Rare ocular and cutaneous complication of inferior alveolar nerve block. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2006; 64:719–721.
Article
9. van der Bijl P, Lamb TL. Prolonged diplopia following a mandibular block injection. Anesth Prog. 1996; 43:116–117.
10. Goldenberg AS. Diplopia resulting from a mandibular injection. J Endod. 1983; 9:261–262.
Article
11. von Arx T, Lozanoff S, Zinkernagel M. Ophthalmologic complications after intraoral local anesthesia. Swiss Dent J. 2014; 124:784–806.
12. Khoury JN, Mihailidis S, Ghabriel M, Townsend G. Applied anatomy of the pterygomandibular space: improving the success of inferior alveolar nerve blocks. Aust Dent J. 2011; 56:112–121.
Article
13. Williams JV, Williams LR, Colbert SD, Revington PJ. Amaurosis, ophthalmoplegia, ptosis, mydriasis and periorbital blanching following inferior alveolar nerve anaesthesia. Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2011; 15:67–70.
Article
14. Webber B, Orlansky H, Lipton C, Stevens M. Complications of an intra-arterial injection from an inferior alveolar nerve block. J Am Dent Assoc. 2001; 132:1702–1704.
Article
15. Ezirganli S, Kazancioglu HO. An unforeseen complication arising from inferior alveolar nerve block: is anemia possible? J Craniofac Surg. 2013; 24:2178–2179.
Full Text Links
  • JDAPM
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr