**Supra-glottic Tumors**

**Airway Pathology:** Laryngeal supra-glottic tumors present obvious and serious airway risk. In these tumors, with apnea airway obstruction may occur. In addition, these cancers are friable and can easily fragment and bleed with instrumentation which can convert partial obstruction into a complete obstruction. Therefore, a supra-glottic tumor presents definite intraoperative and postoperative airway risks.

**Airway Management:** *A wake oral fiberoptic laryngoscopy* is the gold standard.

**141**

(**Figure 16**).

**Figure 15.**

**Figure 14.**

*Left vocal cord cancer for LASER resection.*

**4.5 Key points**

intubation.

*Airway Management in Head and Neck Pathology DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94498*

The extent of postoperative edema should be properly assessed before extubation. In case extubation was decided, proper planning should be taken. These include the use of a fiberoptic bronchoscope, jet stylet catheter, or a tube changer

• Patients with head and neck tumors usually present airway management

• The situation cannot intubate/cannot ventilate episodes are best avoided

• The history and physical examinations are essential in preoperative identification of the cases with a difficult **airway** that may need a wake

challenges as difficult as any we confront.

*Huge infra-temporal fossa encroaching on the oropharynx removed trans-orally.*

because of the high associated morbidity.

*Special Considerations in Human Airway Management*

**140**

**Figure 13.**

**Figure 12.**

**Supra-glottic Tumors**

*Another example of a large oropharyngeal tumor arising from the right tonsil.*

*Large oropharyngeal tumor with almost complete obstruction of the oropharynx.*

**Airway Pathology:** Laryngeal supra-glottic tumors present obvious and serious airway risk. In these tumors, with apnea airway obstruction may occur. In addition, these cancers are friable and can easily fragment and bleed with instrumentation which can convert partial obstruction into a complete obstruction. Therefore, a supra-glottic tumor presents definite intraoperative and postoperative airway risks. **Airway Management:** *A wake oral fiberoptic laryngoscopy* is the gold standard.

**Figure 14.** *Huge infra-temporal fossa encroaching on the oropharynx removed trans-orally.*

#### **Figure 15.** *Left vocal cord cancer for LASER resection.*

The extent of postoperative edema should be properly assessed before extubation. In case extubation was decided, proper planning should be taken. These include the use of a fiberoptic bronchoscope, jet stylet catheter, or a tube changer (**Figure 16**).
