Eliciting the Chvostek sign during and after reversal of anesthesia is very helpful in detecting hypocalcemia. Especially in thyroid and parathyroid surgeries, sometimes in other surgeries, even with the adequate dose of Neostigmine, patients are not brisk or get flaccid again after recovery. Correction of hypocalcemia promptly recovers the patient. I elicited it many times and found it positive. Even Trousseau sign is positive, without a B.P cuff.
Anesthesiologists keep this simple and useful tests in mind, bcoz vitamin D deficiency, is rampant now. The Chvostek sign is a clinical sign of existing nerve hyperexcitability (tetany) seen in hypocalcemia. It refers to an abnormal reaction to the stimulation of the facial nerve. When the facial nerve is tapped at the angle of the jaw (i.e. masseter muscle), the facial muscles on the same side of the face will contract momentarily…
