Airway management of palatoglossal bands – A challenge to an anaesthesiologist

Abstract

Palatoglossal bands are one of the very rare congenital anomaly with very few documented cases worldwide. They can present with respiratory distress which requires immediate surgical intervention, or with feeding difficulties. The management of such a patient is a challenge to any anaesthesiologist because of inability to perform conventional laryngoscopy and associated cardiac or digital anomalies. We discuss here the management of such an infant who presented at 18 months with feeding difficulties.

Keywords

• Difficult airway in neonates; palatoglossal bands; use of nasopharyngoscope