[Experiences in general anesthesia of patients with scoliosis presupposed to have difficulties in airway maintenance].

Abstract

We experienced general anesthesia of two patients with cerebral palsy presupposed to have difficulties in tracheal intubation by reason of scoliosis. Case 1 is a 26-year-old woman. Chest X-ray photography and respiratory sounds in both pulmonary areas indicated neither airway stricture nor respiratory distress, but severe scoliosis presupposed difficult tracheal intubation. However, under the impression of possible intubation obtained by preoperative laryngoscopy, orotracheal intubation was tried with rapid induction. Epiglottis deviation to the left noted upon developing larynx made the glottis direct invisible, but some compression of cricoid from outside barely succeeded in intubation. The fixation of the endotracheal tube found much difficulties in its proper positioning so as to make stethoscopy uniform in both pulmonary areas, but trial rotations of the tube both in various directions and at various depths barely managed to find a position of uniform stethoscopy in both pulmonary areas, in which position the tube was fixed as proper positioning. Anesthesia was performed by nitrous oxide.oxygen.halothane; peroperative hemodynamics remained stable and arterial blood gas analysis presented no problems. Case II is a 16-year-old man. Resting respiration presented stridor and chest X-ray photography indicated scoliosis and laryngeal stricture. Patient's lack in the degree of cooperation made laryngoscopy impossible. Thus, in view of a high possibility of difficult tracheal intubation, orotracheal intubation was tried under the control of spontaneous respiration. While the intubation was being carried out by means of a stylet without developing larynx, severe bronchostriction was palpable at the point when the tube barely passed through the glottis, making the intubation impossible. However, the tube barely managed to be inserted while rotating with the stylet being extracted. Anesthesia was carried out by nitrous oxide.oxygen.halothane; peroperative hemodynamics underwent no remarkable change and arterial blood gas analysis presented no problems.