• Changle Rao, Guihua Huang, Fangfang Mu, Zhengquan Tan, and Jie Yuan.
• Department of Anesthesiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Jan 12; 103 (2): e36956e36956.

IntroductionTemporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) affects 8% to 16% of the global population, yet TMJOA remains relatively underappreciated clinically. To anesthesiologists, who is concerned about patient safety, adequate preoperative evaluation and preparation, as well as individualized anesthetic management of patients, are necessary. Therefore, the anesthesiologist should be alert for difficult airways due to TMJOA, have a full and comprehensive understanding of the disease, and possess the appropriate expertise for difficult airway intubation.Case PresentationA 52-year-old female patient was scheduled for laparoscopic operation of uterine adnexa under general anesthesia. The patient preoperative evaluation showed only 1 finger width of mouth opening, and the computed tomography scan showed bilateral temporomandibular arthritis, which was evident on the right side. Intraoperatively, the expected airway difficulties occurred, and the anesthesiologist opted to use lightwand intubation, which was ultimately successful in 1 pass without any complications.ConclusionIntubation using a lightwand for patients with difficult intubation due to TMJOA is a very effective intubation modality.Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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