Bilateral Anesthesia Mumps After Robot-Assisted Hysterectomy Under General Anesthesia: Two Case Reports

Abstract

Acute post-operative parotid gland swelling or “anesthesia mumps” is a rare complication that occurs after general or regional anesthesia. While the exact mechanism underlying this condition is not fully understood, mechanical obstruction of Stensen’s duct due to incorrect head positioning, peri-operative medication, dehydration, and retrograde passage of air into the parotid gland have all been implicated in post-operative parotid swelling. Here we present two cases of parotid swelling after robot-assisted hysterectomy, both of which are thought to have been caused by compression due to shoulder braces. Careful attention to the head and neck position is required to avoid mechanical obstruction of the parotid duct, and by extension, parotid gland swelling.