[A Case of Hypoglossal Nerve Palsy after Cervical Spine Surgery]

A 46-year-old woman with cervical disc herniation underwent C4-6 laminoplasty and C4-5 foraminotomy under general anesthesia. The patient complained of the tongue deviation toward the right after surgery. She underwent several examinations and was diag- nosed as right hypoglossal nerve palsy caused by peripheral nerve disorder. It was considered that the main damage was the external branch of hypoglossal nerve which was likely to occur as a complication of compression because of the location. The cause of hypoglossal nerve palsy was assumed to be possibly direct compression of the hypoglossal nerve by the tracheal tube. In prone position surgery, it is important to take care of pressure to the tongue because the intraoral space tends to be reduced by edema of the face and neck.