[Laryngeal mask anesthesia technique in adenoidectomy procedures with or without tonsillectomy]

Our experience with laryngeal airway mask in 241 children is reported: 168 adenoidectomies, 47 adenotonsillectomies and 26 tonsillectomies. In every case the device was easy to insert and blood did not enter the upper airway. The technical facility was similar to that of orotracheal intubation surgery. The laryngeal mask was effective for safe airway control, constituting a laryngotracheal barrier against blood, secretions and other fluids and avoiding the irritation of the intraluminal cuff in orotracheal intubation. It requires less deep anesthesia and insertion can be carried out without neuromuscular blockade. Induction and perioperative time are reduced, patient recovery is expedited, and recovery is more comfortable than with other anesthetic techniques. Anesthesiological resultant parameters were within the range of safety. Otherwise, the presence of the laryngeal mask, with its hypopharyngeal cuff, presented no relevant complications for visual and instrumental access to the surgical field. This allows the surgeon to completely eliminate adenotonsillary tissue and to perform effective hemostasis.