Anesthetic management of a pregnant woman with Gorham–Stout disease

Gorham-Stout Disease Management during Pregnancy

Gorham-Stout Disease (GSD) is a rare lymphatic disorder affecting children or young adults with no predilection of sex. It is generally associated with vanishing bone osteolytic lesions, thoracic and abdominal involvement, and diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis. Chylous effusions and chylothorax, consequent to the abnormal proliferation of lymphatic vessels, may induce respiratory failure with a high mortality risk. Extrapulmonary alterations may include chylous ascites, lymphopenia, and destructing bone disease for overgrowth of lymphatic vessels. Here, we report the case of a young woman who developed a severe and recalcitrant GSD with persistent unilateral chylothorax during pregnancy. The complex management of this patient during and after pregnancy was discussed and compared with literature data to contribute to the definition of a correct diagnostic and therapeutic approach to this rare lymphatic disease.

Primary osteolysis syndromes: beware of difficult airway

BACKGROUND

Primary osteolysis syndromes represent a number of rare conditions characterized by destruction and resorption of bone that is unrelated to neoplasia, infection, or trauma.

AIM

To characterize the periprocedural course of patients with primary osteolysis syndrome undergoing procedures that require anesthesia care.

METHODS

The medical records database from our institution was searched from 1976 to 2013 to identify patients with primary osteolysis syndromes who received anesthesia care. We reviewed demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and perioperative course of patients with different forms of primary osteolysis. A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify reports describing the anesthetic management of patients with these conditions.

RESULTS

We identified 11 patients with a primary osteolysis syndrome who received 111 anesthetics. The patients' ages at the time of surgery ranged from 3 to 62 years. Difficult airway management was a common finding. On preoperative examination, difficulty with endotracheal intubation was predicted in 8 of 11 patients. Three patients had preexisting tracheostomies. One patient required multiple awake fiberoptic intubations. Another two patients where successfully intubated early in life via direct laryngoscopy, but eventually required awake fiberoptic intubations as the disease process caused progressive distortion of airway structures. Intraoperative complications were absent. In the postoperative period, three patients required prolonged mechanical ventilation due to airway swelling, respiratory failure, and infection.

CONCLUSIONS

Airway management may be challenging in patients with primary osteolysis syndromes. Because the osteolytic process advances with aging and craniofacial dysmorphism may progressively worsen, the airway should always be reassessed before surgery with an appropriate strategy for potentially difficult intubation. In all patients with primary osteolysis, a potential for pathologic fracture must be considered and careful intraoperative positioning is warranted.

Anaesthetic consideration in patients with Gorham's syndrome: A case report and review of the literature

Gorham's syndrome (GS) is a rare disorder characterized by proliferation of vascular channels resulting in destruction and resorption of osseous matrix leading to bone loss. Bone loss leads to joint instability and problems during airway management and positioning for surgery. Respiratory involvement further complicates anaesthesia management. We report the anaesthetic care of a 21-year-old male patient of known GS for spine decompression and fusion in prone position. Airway management, induction technique, pathophysiology of the disease, drug selection and other concerns of anaesthesia for major spine surgery has been discussed reviewing the sparse literature available.