Lingual Nerve Injury Resulting from Oral Airway Compression During a Myomectomy

Objective: Lingual nerve injury is an uncommon complication of anesthesia. We report a case of isolated unilateral lingual nerve injury following endotracheal tube anesthesia. Case Report: A 36-year-old woman with primary infertility for 4 years presented with severe dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia. A myomectomy was performed under endotracheal tube anesthesia. Postoperatively, the patient complained of numbness at the tip of the right side of the tongue. One month later, the numbness had completely reversed with no motor or sensory nerve complications. Conclusion: Physicians should be aware of this rare complication, especially when a patient complains of numbness of the tongue.