Case Reports and Reviews: Open Access

Abstract 

Ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint is a serious pathology; it is a joint disease requiring bone reconstructive treatment. The etiology of ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint includes a trauma, a previous operation of this area, arthritis and a previous infection. It can be congenital, and in some cases idiopathic. In ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint, a child may experience the following problems: impaired airway maintenance, difficulty in feeding, impaired speech development. We present a case of a 6-year-old child with ankylosis of the left temporomandibular joint found in infancy. A 6-year-old male child weighing 16 kg, with a diagnosis of left-sided ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint, was placed in the maxillofacial department at the surgical clinic of the Azerbaijan Medical University to relieve ankylosis. Surgery of ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint belongs to the category of difficult intubation, since direct visualization of the vocal cords is difficult due to the inability to open the mouth. In ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint, blind nasal intubation is usually recommended. But, this technique can fail, and repeated attempts at intubation can damage the corresponding structures, which will lead to complications such as bleeding, edema, laryngospasm, aspiration. And ultimately, any compromise in the airways will be detrimental to the pediatric population. Currently, the use of a fibrooptic laryngoscope can be the treatment of choice for difficult airways. But in some clinics this may not be available. Therefore, in such situations, it is necessary to consider alternative options, one of which is retrograde intubation. 

Keywords: Retrograde intubation; Ankyloses