ABSTRACT
The perioperative anaesthetic management of patients undergoing resection of tumours of the head and neck presents the anaesthetist with a unique set of challenges.1,2 They can be grouped into the following main categories: (a) preoperative assessment; (b) the difficult airway; (c) the shared airway; (d) pharyngolaryngo-oesophagectomy; (e) anaesthetic complications peculiar to head and neck surgery; (f) management of the free flap; and (g) postoperative high-dependency care.
