Pseudocholinesterase Deficiency: A Case Report and Literature Review

Patrick J. Hackett, Tetsuro Sakai

Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ojanes.2012.24043                

Abstract

A 72-year-old male underwent neck dissection and parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation. Endotracheal intubation was facilitated with succinylcholine. Prolonged muscle paralysis which was first detected after failure to stimulate the facial nerve with electrocautery, lasted five hours. Laboratory tests indicated pseudocholinesterase (PChE) deficiency. A thyroidectomy one month later was performed uneventfully using rocuronium as a muscle relaxant. Literature review revealed a total of 40 PChE deficiency cases being reported since 1956.

Keywords

Prolonged Paralysis; Succinylcholine; Pseudocholinesterase Deficiency; Dibucaine Number; Case Review

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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