Rare complication following surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion: A case report of unilateral lingual anesthesia with a hypothesized etiology

Surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion (SARPE) is a type of surgical intervention to correct a transverse maxillary deficiency in skeletally mature patients. Complications associated with SARPE can be divided into intraoperative complications such as hemorrhage, or postoperative complications that are associated with inadequate suture release. We present a case of a twenty-four year old female patient who reported a left-sided lingual anesthesia following the surgery. We hypothesized the cause to be related to peri-operative hematoma formation at the left maxillary region. Patient was managed conservatively, followed up periodically for three months and showed gradual improvement and complete recovery.