Airway obstruction caused by pharyngolaryngeal swelling after intraoral removal of a submandibular gland stone

Intraoral removal of a submandibular gland stone is less invasive than submandibulectomy, with no life-threatening airway complications reported until now. We report a case involving airway obstruction caused by pharyngolaryngeal swelling after intraoral removal of a submandibular gland stone. A 31-year-old man with a left submandibular gland stone underwent intraoral removal of the stone under general anesthesia and was discharged 1 day after surgery. That night, he was transported back to our hospital by ambulance for dyspnea. Because computed tomography showed pharyngolaryngeal swelling, he was intubated and managed by a ventilator. Four days later, the pharyngolaryngeal swelling had mostly resolved and he was extubated and discharged. Surgeons should be vigilant of the potential risk of airway complications following an intraoral approach for submandibular gland stone removal.