Assessment and Management of Difficult Airway Post Mandibulectomy: A Narrative Review

Mandibulectomy most commonly performed as surgical management of oropharyngeal carcinoma leads to a wide array anatomical and physiological changes which result in an anticipated difficult airway. There may be posterosuperior displacement hyoid bone tongue leading reduction retropalatal space along with loss structural support the predisposing it prolapse development obstructive sleep apnoea. Bulky flap reconstruction, limited mouth opening, radiotherapy limiting neck mobility further compound difficulty airway management. This spectrum issues ranging from face mask ventilation laryngoscopy intubation. It is essential individualize each case preformulated strategy outlining primary alternative approaches. A literature search was carried out using engines like PubMed, Embase, Medline, Google scholar terms “Difficult airway”, “Post-mandibulectomy”, laryngoscopy, Intubation”. The available thoroughly reviewed by authors before final drafting this article. multidisciplinary team approach, thorough assessment, meticulous preparation, critical decision-making are for successfully managing post-mandibulectomy.