Anesth Pain Med.  2021 Apr;16(2):201-204. 10.17085/apm.20080.

Numbness of the lower lip following urological surgery under general anesthesia – A case report –

• Kim SY
• Lim Y
• Bae GH
• Suh DH
• Kim KM

• KMID: 2515548
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17085/apm.20080

Abstract

Background
Peripheral nerve injury is a complication that can occur after general anesthesia. It significantly impairs the patient’s quality of life and may lead to permanent disability. Nerves in several areas can be damaged during the perioperative period, but it is very rare that numbness of the lower lip is caused after general anesthesia. Case: A 73-year-old man with diabetes mellitus underwent urological surgery under general anesthesia. The day after surgery, he complained of numbness on the right lower lip caused by a mental nerve injury. Diabetic mononeuropathy or neurapraxia related to mechanical compression was considered a possible cause. The symptoms resolved spontaneously after six weeks.
Conclusions
Mental nerve injury is a rare perioperative complication in surgical patients under general anesthesia. In this case, patients should be reassured and advised to avoid injuries to the mouth and lips. However, specific treatment is not required.

Keyword

Complications; General anesthesia; Mononeuropathies; Peripheral nerve injury

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Fixed tape course and mental nerve pathway. This illustration presents the course of tapes for the fixation of the endotracheal tube. Mental nerve pathway is shown as a yellow line.

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