An Unusual Cause for Chronic Dysphagia

Excerpt

A 68-year-old man with a right maxillary ameloblastoma underwent right hemimaxillectomy and reconstruction with a standard obturator. At the beginning of the surgery, a retropharyngeal pack was placed in order to prevent aspiration of blood or any surgical materials. The sponges that were used during the surgery were all tagged with radio-opaque blue thread. The operation lasted several hours, during which there was significant bleeding. At the end of the surgery, the patient was extubated and transferred to the post anesthesia care unit, where he recovered gradually for 2 days, during which he was fed by the naso-gastric tube. The patient was then transferred to the ward, where he was treated for two more weeks until his discharge from hospital. …