Special article: airway management in reconstructive surgery for noma (cancrum oris).

Noma (cancrum oris) is a disease of poverty and malnutrition, which predominantly affects children younger than 10 years in developing countries. Although the majority of sufferers die of sepsis at the time of the initial infection, or of subsequent starvation due to severe trismus and an inability to eat, a small minority of patients survive and require reconstructive surgery for severe facial scarring and deformity. These patients present significant problems to the anesthesiologist with regard to airway management.