Uvular paralysis after dental anesthesia
Sanchis JM, Peñarrocha M. Uvular paralysis after dental anesthesia. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2002;60:1369-71.
Abstract
Cranial nerve motor effects resulting from intraoral anesthesia are infrequent but well documented. Facial nerve involvement caused by diffusion of the anesthetic solution towards the parotid can give rise to a transient facial motor defect that tends to disappear as the anesthetic effect wears off. Facial paralysis lasting for several days has also been related to intraoral anesthesia, possibly due to reflex spasm and ischemic neuritis. One report described a patient with isolated involvement of the chorda tympani nerve following inferior alveolar injection, associated with dysgeusia.
Ophtalmologic complications secondary to intraoral anesthesia include transient blindness resulting from anesthetic diffusion towards the orbit, with involvement of the optic nerve; ophthalmoplegia and diplopia due to involvement of the III, IV, and VI cranial nerves; and effects on the sympathetic plexus of the internal carotid artery with miosis, ptosis, and enophthalmos sensation.
We report the case of a patient who developed uvular deviation as a result of palatal muscle paralysis following intraoral mandibular block of the inferior alveolar nerve for dental treatment.
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