Anaesthesia for Excision of an Intraoral Mass in a Neonate: Use of a Laryngeal Mask during Removal of Congenital Epulis

Congenital epulis is a rare intraoral tumour of the newborn arising from gingival mucosa, most commonly from the alveolar ridge 1 . It may interfere with normal feeding or potentially compromise respiration. We describe the anaesthetic management of one such case of a female infant born with a single epulis, approximately 3 cm in diameter, protruding from her mouth. The lesion was removed one day after delivery, under general anaesthesia using a laryngeal mask airway to control the infant's airway. The rationale for this management plan and alternatives to this strategy are discussed.