Giant Haemangioma Excision Under Cervical Epidural Anaesthesia: A Viable Alternative to General Anaesthesia

The cervical epidural anaesthesia is a safe anaesthetic technique with minimal morbidity and early postoperative recovery. Cervical epidural anaesthesia can be effectively used for neck, upper arm and chest surgeries. The technique avoids the adverse effects of general anaesthetics and airway instrumentation, especially in patients with cardio respiratory disorders. We preferred CEA for giant haemangioma neck excision in an adult female patient, having an associated laryngeal haemangioma, 10ml of 0.5% ropivacaine with 50μg Fentanyl (total 11 ml) was administered into the cervical epidural space through a 20G epidural catheter introduced via a 18G Tuohy needle at the level of C7-T1 space. Following initial dose a top up dose of 4ml 0.5% Ropivacaine was given after 60 minutes. The surgery lasted for 75 minutes. The cervical epidural anaesthesia allowed our patient to stay awake but comfortable, with stable haemodynamics and excellent postoperative pain relief with a continuous cervical epidural infusion of 0.25% Ropivacaine and 2μg/ml Fentanyl @ 2ml/h was achieved.