Bilateral Parotitis after Caesarean Section under Spinal Anaesthesia

Abstract

We describe the case of a 32-year-old (Gravida2, Para1, Live1) woman who had late-onset foetal growth restriction (FGR) at 36 weeks gestation and had a history of lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) treated with oral hypoglycaemic medications. She experienced a non-reassuring non-stress test (NST) in spite of normal Doppler indices, necessitating emergent LSCS under spinal anaesthesia. Intraoperatively, she had acute hypertension and headache, which were treated with intravenous labetalol and magnesium sulphate. Postoperatively, she suffered transitory bilateral parotid swelling that reduced with fluids and corticosteroids. Both the mother and the newborn were discharged in a stable state. This example emphasizes the necessity of careful peripartum surveillance and the significance of identifying uncommon postoperative complications like parotitis, even after regional anaesthesia.