Partial glossectomy under general anesthesia in two pregnant women with mild respiratory episodes

Abstract

The number of pregnant women with oral cancer is thought to increase as the childbearing age rises. Herein, we report two cases of tongue cancer occurring in pregnant women at different gestational periods. Case 1 was in the second trimester of pregnancy and developed pneumonia preoperatively, and the operation was postponed to avoid respiratory complications which might be related with the risk of teratogenicity as well as fetal functional abnormalities. In Case 2, during induction of general anesthesia, hypoxemia and decreased fetal heart rate were observed due to short period of apnea. Although the toxicity of modern anesthetics to pregnant women is low, perioperative episodes have a significant impact on the fetus and require exceptionally careful anesthetic management.

Keywords

• Pregnant women
• Tongue neoplasms
• Pneumonia
• General anesthesia
• Hypoxia
• Fetal heart rate