Unilateral mydriasis after nasal reconstruction surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To present a case of iatrogenic, unilateral pupillary dilatation after general anesthesia for nasal surgery. Unilateral pupillary dilatation after general anesthesia has sinister implications, which might prompt further investigations. However, in patients undergoing nasal surgery, it might be caused by the action of drugs injected intranasally. Consideration of iatrogenic causes of pupillary dilatation might help clinicians to avoid time-consuming and costly investigations.

METHODS

A 24-yr-old healthy woman underwent a general anesthetic for septoplasty and bilateral turbinectomy. She was hemodynamically stable and did not suffer any hypoxia intraoperatively. At the end of the operation her right pupil was dilated (8 mm diameter). Her left pupil was normal. No other abnormality was detected. After she woke up, her vision was grossly normal. Neurological examination did not show any other abnormality. Six to eight hours later, both pupils were equal (2 mm in diameter) and reacting normally to light and accommodation.

CONCLUSIONS

The patient was a healthy 24-yr-old who underwent an operation in which there was no incident of hypoxia or hemodynamic instability. Since the patient recovered completely within six to eight hours, the pupillary dilatation was probably caused by epinephrine, which could have entered the eye through the nasolacrimal duct. Although pupillary dilatation after general anesthesia has been described, this is the first case report where the most likely causative agent was epinephrine, injected into the nasal submucosa.