Tapia's syndrome following septorhinoplasty

No surgery is free of complications varying from common minor problems to very unexpected and severe ones. In the case presented here, unilateral paralysis of the muscles of the tongue and ipsilateral vocal cord paralysis due to a lesion of the 10th and 12th cranial nerves occurred following a septorhinoplasty that was performed under endotracheal general anesthesia. This rare entity known as Tapia's Syndrome is believed to be caused by pressure neuropathy of both nerves due to inflation of the cuff within the larynx. We remind surgeons of this unusual complication that can occur in any surgery under general anesthesia and discuss its diagnosis, treatment method, and the followup results in light of the literature.