Videolaryngoscopy in the management of the difficult airway.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to George Berci.
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In recent decades, video techniques have been employed in the majority of endoscopic procedures because of several distinct advantages provided. These include the following: The displayed anatomy is magnified. Recognition of the anatomical structures and anomalies is easier, and manipulation of airway devices is facilitated. When assistance is required, the operator and assistant can coordinate their movements because each sees exactly the same image on the video monitor. As a result, video techniques have become the method of choice in teaching. The Video Macintosh Intubating Laryngoscope System (VMS) was designed employing a standard Macintosh blade and laryngoscope handle. A camera was incorporated into the handle with a short image and light bundle. The magnified anatomy is displayed on an 8-inch monitor, which is attached to a swivel arm on a small cart. Observation and manipulation can be performed in one axis.A total of 235 patients were studied and were divided into two groups: Group A (n = 217), in whom intubation was thought unlikely to be difficult, and Group B (n = 18), in whom difficulty with intubation was anticipated. External laryngeal manipulation (ELM) was required in 22 of the 217 Group A patients (10%). All intubations but one in this group were successful. In the second group (B) of 18 patients who had anatomical conditions that suggested that direct laryngoscopy might be challenging, all 18 cases required ELM but all were successfully intubated using the VMS. The improved coordination afforded by an image on a video monitor seen by both the assistant providing laryngeal manipulation and the anesthesiologist handling the laryngoscope results in a significant advantage over the conventional laryngoscope technique. As a consequence, the learning curve is short. In our view, video laryngoscopy will become the method of choice in teaching.
Microvascular decompression of the glossopharyngeal nerve is an effective treatment of patients with glossopharyngeal neuralgia in whom compression of the nerve by a blood vessel is implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease. The standard surgical technique uses a binocular operating microscope for intra-operative visualization. Growing experience with posterior fossa endoscopy, however, has suggested that endoscopes may provide more comprehensive anatomical views of cerebellopontine angle. This report describes the case of a patient suffering from glossopharyngeal neuralgia who underwent fully endoscopic vascular decompression of the glossopharyngeal nerve. During this procedure the endoscope was used to survey the posterior fossa, guide the placement of insulating sponges, and conduct a final assessment of the intervention. We found the endoscope ideally suited to the constricted operating space of the posterior fossa, allowing for accurate localization and careful separation of the pathological vascular conflict with minimal brain retraction and no damage to surrounding structures. The versatility of endoscopy allows for superior visual appreciation of neurovascular conflicts in the posterior fossa. To date, endoscopy has primarily been used to supplement microscopy in cranial nerve decompression surgery. This report demonstrates how the endoscope can be used as the sole imaging modality in glossopharyngeal nerve decompression, with excellent results.
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