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Objectives/hypothesis: In otolaryngology, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analogues have been previously analyzed for their roles in neuropathic pain, chronic cough, tinnitus, and perioperative analgesia. The primary aim of this study is to comprehensively summarize and synthesize the existing evidence for lesser known uses of gabapentin and pregabalin in otolaryngology., Study Design: A scoping review conducted of the available English-language literature was performed by two authors through April 1, 2021., Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis criteria were followed, and a quality assessment of included studies was performed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies., Results: Ten studies met inclusion criteria. Three studies found that gabapentin may reduce gastrostomy tube usage and improve swallowing function in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT). Three studies suggested that gabapentin may help reduce opiate use when used as a primary analgesic in patients with radiation-induced mucositis. One study demonstrated that pregabalin-reduced trismus severity in patients with radiotherapy-induced trismus. One study demonstrated gabapentin may be useful in patients with phonasthenia. Two studies demonstrated that GABA analogues may be a useful adjunct in patients with globus pharyngeus in the context of likely laryngeal sensory neuropathy., Conclusions: The most promising potential uses for GABA analogues identified in this review are for improving swallowing, trismus, and narcotic overuse after RT. The benefit of GABA analogues for improving nonorganic voice disorders is also promising while the benefit for globus pharyngeus when possibly related to laryngeal sensory neuropathy is inconclusive. Laryngoscope, 132:954-964, 2022., (© 2021 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Atraumatic trismus can be one of the presentations of medication-induced acute dystonia, particularly by antipsychotics and less commonly antidepressants. A case of an unusual emergency presentation of atraumatic trismus on initiation of duloxetine is reported. The patient was a 40-year-old woman experiencing sudden difficulty in mouth opening and speaking due to a stiffened jaw after taking 5 days of duloxetine prescribed for her fibromyalgia-related chest pain. Assessment of vital signs is prudent to ensure there is no laryngeal involvement. Other physical examinations and her recent investigations were unremarkable. She was treated for acute dystonia and intravenous procyclidine was given together with oral diazepam. Her symptoms improved immediately and her duloxetine was suggested to be stopped. To our knowledge, this is the first case of isolated trismus induced by duloxetine. Clinicians should be aware of this risk, especially considering the limitation of important physiological functions (such as swallowing, eating, etc) associated with this condition., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a commonly used and often effective class of medications in the treatment of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Sertraline (1S,4S-N-methyl-4-[3,4-dichlorophenyl]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthylamine [Zoloft; Pfizer, New York City, NY]) is a frequently used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that has shown efficacy in children, adolescents, and adults. We report the case of a 13-year-old boy with sertraline-induced rhabdomyolysis and renal failure, trismus, and cardiopulmonary arrest. Pharmacogenetic testing later revealed our patient had serotonin transporter polymorphisms and enzymatic alterations that put him at risk for increased levels of sertraline and greater likelihood for untoward side effects., Competing Interests: POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Background: Masseter hypertrophy is a common, prominent feature in many Asian patients, and correction procedures are often requested for esthetic reasons. Toxin masseter injections have a high efficacy and safety profile, but the risks of a variety of side effects or complications remain., Objectives: The categorization of various complications was based on etiology, with a presentation of the author's own incidence rates for consideration and comparison., Methods: Six hundred and eighty patients received a total of 2036 sessions of toxin injection for masseter hypertrophy from 2011 to 2016, and complications or complaints were recorded through follow-up on a by-treatment basis. Complications were grouped together based on etiology and discussed., Results: Of 2036 sessions, temporary mastication force decrease was reported after 611 (30%), bruising after 51 (2.5%), headaches after 12 (0.58%), smile limitation after 3 (0.15%), paradoxical bulging after 10 (0.49%), sunken cheeks (subzygomatic volume loss) after 9 (0.44%), and sagging after 4 (0.20%)., Conclusions: Masseter injections remain very safe. To further decrease the incidence rate, injections should only be inside the recommended safety zone, a quadrilateral within the muscle that avoids most important local structures. Keeping injections inside the safe zone, and ideally in 3-4 different locations at least 1 cm from any border, is crucial for the prevention of complications., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

A case of a 60-year-old man with severe trismus after inferior alveolar nerve block is presented. MRI scans as well as histologic examination revealed muscle fibrosis and degeneration of the medial part of the left temporal muscle due to myotoxicity of a local anesthetic agent.

An 11-year-old male receiving aripiprazole, methylphenidate, and clonidine developed acute masseter dystonia inhibiting tracheal intubation after induction of general anesthesia with propofol and rocuronium. Following emergence, he had trismus and jaw discomfort. Psychiatry consultation suspected an acute dystonic reaction, so diphenhydramine was administered intravenously which resolved symptoms. We suspect chronic aripiprazole and methylphenidate usage combined with propofol administration in the short-term absence of methylphenidate made this patient susceptible to dystonic reactions., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

We report a case of a 54-year-old male who within a month had two events of bilateral masseter spasm (BMS) at induction of anaesthesia. The first time BMS caused unanticipated difficult intubation after infusion of remifentanil and propofol, and conseqeuently the general anaesthesia was terminated. The second time an awake fiberoptic intubation was planned followed by infusion of propofol, and once again there was a BMS breakout. This side effect of propofol has been reported to the Danish Health and Medicines Authority.

The purpose of this prospective randomized, single blind study was to determine the anesthetic efficacy of 68.8 mg of lidocaine with 50 μg epinephrine compared to 68.8 mg lidocaine with 50 μg epinephrine plus 0.9 M mannitol in inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) blocks. Forty subjects randomly received 2 IAN blocks consisting of a 1.72-mL formulation of 68.8 mg lidocaine with 50 μg epinephrine and a 5-mL formulation of 68.8 mg lidocaine with 50 μg epinephrine (1.72 mL) plus 0.9 M mannitol (3.28 mL) in 2 separate appointments spaced at least 1 week apart. Mandibular anterior and posterior teeth were blindly electric pulp tested at 4-minute cycles for 60 minutes postinjection. No response from the subject to the maximum output (80 reading) of the pulp tester was used as the criterion for pulpal anesthesia. Total percent pulpal anesthesia was defined as the total of all the times of pulpal anesthesia (80 readings), for each tooth, over the 60 minutes. One hundred percent of the subjects had profound lip numbness with both inferior alveolar nerve blocks. The results demonstrated that the 5 mL-formulation of 68.8 mg lidocaine with 50 μg epinephrine plus 0.9 M mannitol was significantly better than the 1.72-mL formulation of 68.8 mg lidocaine with 50 μg epinephrine for all teeth, except the lateral incisor. We concluded that adding 0.9 M mannitol to a lidocaine with epinephrine formulation was significantly more effective in achieving a greater percentage of total pulpal anesthesia (as defined in this study) than a lidocaine formulation without mannitol. However, the 0.9 M mannitol/lidocaine formulation would not provide 100% pulpal anesthesia for all the mandibular teeth.

We report an undiagnosed case of myotonia congenita in a 24-year-old previously healthy primigravida, who developed life threatening masseter spasm following a standard dose of intravenous suxamethonium for induction of anaesthesia. Neither the patient nor the anaesthetist was aware of the diagnosis before this potentially lethal complication occurred.

This case report details the onset of masseter muscle rigidity, elevated creatine kinase levels, and rhabdomyolysis following a sevoflurane mask induction and succinylcholine administration in a 12-year-old boy. The patient had no family or personal history of neuromuscular disease or malignant hyperthermia. Hyperkalemia, metabolic acidosis, and rhabdomyolysis occurred within 75 minutes of masseter muscle rigidity. Subsequent to this event, it was recommended that the patient undergo a workup for neuromuscular disease and malignant hyperthermia with muscle biopsy. Until this workup is completed, the family should advise anesthesia providers that the patient is "malignant hyperthermia susceptible." Masseter muscle rigidity, elevated creatine kinase levels, and rhabdomyolysis will be thoroughly discussed in this article.

Hair dye ingestion is an uncommon form of poisoning in the west, however, in some parts of the world such as East Africa and Indian Sub-continent it is not uncommon. The main component of hair dye causing toxicity is Paraphenylenediamine (PPD). This compound has been found to cause angioneurotic edema, rhabdomyolysis and renal failure. We present a case of hair dye poisoning who presented with respiratory distress due to laryngeal edema and later developed trismus and carpopedal spasm. This case report highlights the combined toxicities of sodium EDTA and PPD.

We report the case of a 20-year-old woman who developed masseter spasm after receiving succinylcholine for rapid sequence intubation. Sometimes referred to as "jaws of steel," masseter spasm secondary to anesthetic administration may progress to malignant hyperthermia. Although succinylcholine-induced masseter spasm is uncommon, it is important to be prepared to deal with this entity when administering succinylcholine.

Background: Steroid injections into joints are frequently used to control symptomatic pain. Risks associated with intra-articular steroid injections are not well documented., Methods: We report the case of a 29-year-old woman who was referred to a dental surgeon because of a suspected relationship between persisting chronic back pain and an arthrosis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)., Results: The dental surgeon diagnosed capsulitis of the right TMJ and injected 40 mg triamcinolone into the joint. Within 4 months the patient developed progressive pain and trismus of the right TMJ and the intra-articular injection was repeated. An occlusal splint slightly improved the patients' symptoms but induced crepitus. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a disk dislocation in the right TMJ and severe necrosis of the condyle. The patient had persisting pain and ankylosis. Surgical restoration of the TMJ revealed a bony apposition in the fossa deformed with the socket of the joint, extensive medial erosion of the condyle and complete destruction of the disk., Conclusion: This case report supports earlier observations that intra-articular glucocorticoid injections, if used in a wrong way, may cause severe destruction of a joint.

Capecitabine is an oral fluoropyrimidine used for cancer treatment. It is generally well tolerated. A patient who had previously received adjuvant 5-fluorouracil without neurotoxicity had a severe adverse reaction when later given capecitabine in the metastatic setting. She presented with the acute onset of neuromuscular symptoms, the most prominent being trismus but also including slurred speech, confusion, gait abnormalities, and ocular changes. Her symptoms completely resolved with discontinuation of capecitabine.

Objective: This study investigated whether oral contraceptive use affects the incidence of complications (pain, trismus, dry socket) in women undergoing removal of impacted mandibular third molars., Patients and Method: Two hundred and sixty seven women, aged 17 - 45 years, underwent removal of an impacted mandibular third molar. Eighty seven of the women were regular users of oral contraceptives. All patients were evaluated for postoperative pain, trismus and dry socket (localized alveolar osteitis)., Results: Mean trismus values (measured as maximum interincisal distance) were similar in the two groups of patients. Postoperative pain was significantly more frequent among women taking contraceptives, both on day 1 (30% of women taking contraceptives used analgesics, versus 11% of women not taking contraceptives, p < 0.001) and on day 5 (14% versus 5%, p = 0.024). Similarly, dry socket occurred more frequently among women taking contraceptives than among women not taking contraceptives (11% versus 4%, p = 0.017)., Conclusions: The results of this study support the view that oral contraceptive use favours the appearance of dry socket and postoperative pain after extraction, but has no effect on trismus.

The amplitude of buccal opening was limited due to fibrosis of the middle pterygoideus muscle two months after a patient had undergone anaesthesia of the lower dental nerve trunk. Surgery was required. A physiological explanation was attempted based on other cases reported in the literature.

The most frequent causes of trismus are tetanus and local lesions. This report discusses other etiologies. Trismus is usually only a secondary sign of a rich clinical picture, but may be of diagnostic value in some cases. Emphasis is placed on the frequency of involvement of neuroleptic intoxication, the early onset of trismus in the malignant hyperthermia syndrome, and on the useful role of trismus in the localization of neurological lesions.