[Congenital oropharyngeal wall stenosis: a case of difficult endotracheal intubation].

We experienced a case of difficult endotracheal intubation. The patient was a 43 year-old female with congenital oropharyngeal wall stenosis. She was suffering from fibromyoma of uterus and an operation was scheduled under general anesthesia. Her natural voice was nasal. She denied having any respiratory difficulty or difficulty in swallowing. Respiratory function test revealed a low peak flow but the other data were normal. Preceding endotracheal intubation, at laryngoscopy we noticed a stenosis of upper airway because of the web, extending from the middle pharynx to soft palate and its diameter was about 1 cm. Ordinary endotracheal intubation was impossible because of the stenosis. In this case, fortunately we succeeded fiberoptic endotracheal intubation under spontaneous respiration. We conclude that the examination of the pharynx is very important during the perioperative period.