Anesthetic management of an oropharyngeal mass: role of pre anesthetic assessment

Abstract

Pharyngeal mass often presents to the anaesthesiologist for airway management and anaesthesia, needed to aid in diagnosis or treatment. These patients present a challenge to the anaesthesiologist as they block the pathway for ventilation as well as intubation. Spindle cell carcinomas are rare tumors with very few cases of oropharyngeal spindle cell carcinomas reported. These tumors of the pharynx usually present as pedunculated masses of less than 2 cm in size. The anesthetic management for excision is usually simple. We report a unique case of a large size 5 cm pedunculated oro pharyngeal mass, which was mobile causing dynamic airway obstruction. A thorough pre operative examination and planning for the airway management lead to anticipation of difficulties and easy navigation through them.