[Multiple laryngotracheal block for the biopsy of the base of the tongue and of the piriform sinuses during laryngoscopy].

Most laryngoscopies with diagnostic biopsies are usually carried out under general anaesthesia. Multiple laryngotracheal blocks were used in the patient reported; this 55 year old man presented with cachexia and a history of severe angina, myocardial infarction, arterial hypertension and chronic bronchitis. The different nerve blocks were carried out with a total of 2 mg.kg-1 lignocaine: the superior laryngeal nerve trunk, the internal laryngeal nerve, the trachea (by an intratracheal injection) and the tongue (using a lignocaine gel). The whole procedure was well tolerated by the patient. The advantages and disadvantages of this technique are discussed.