Background@#
Peripheral nerve injury is a complication that can occur after
general anesthesia. It significantly impairs the
patient’s
quality of life and may
lead to permanent disability. Nerves in several areas can be damaged during the
perioperative period, but it is very rare that
numbness of the lower
lip is caused after
general anesthesia. Case A 73-year-old man with
diabetes mellitus underwent urological
surgery under
general anesthesia. The day after
surgery, he complained of
numbness on the right lower
lip caused by a
mental nerve injury.
Diabetic mononeuropathy or neurapraxia related to mechanical compression was considered a possible cause. The symptoms resolved spontaneously after six weeks. @*Conclusions@#
Mental nerve injury is a rare perioperative complication in surgical
patients under
general anesthesia. In this case,
patients should be reassured and advised to avoid
injuries to the
mouth and
lips. However, specific
treatment is not required.