Post-operative respiratory complications after palatoplasty in a 19-month-old female with Cornelia de Lange syndrome--a case report

Cornelia De Lange syndrome is a rare genetically heterogeneous and sporadic syndrome, with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 10,000 to 30,000. The disorder may present many complications during anesthesia due to cardiac, gastrointestinal and airway anomalies. We report a case of an ex premature toddler presenting for repair of a cleft palate. Postoperatively she had respiratory distress, successfully treated by the anesthetic care team Causes for the complication are discussed.

Anesthetic management of an adult patient with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome is a well-known congenital disease characterized by multiple malformations that make anesthetic management a challenge. Since few individuals survive the earliest stage of life, papers describing the details of anesthetic management are mainly reported in the pediatric population. These individuals who move into adulthood develop physical changes that should be taken into consideration. This article reports the case of a 34-year-old patient undergoing an orthopedic procedure. The operation was performed under general anesthesia because the patient showed severe scoliosis and joint contractures, so extraordinary difficulty in neuroaxial and peripheral techniques was expected. The aggressive behavior of the patient impeded the proper assessment of a preoperative airway. Fiber optic intubation was performed under slight sedation after three unsuccessful attempts. Dental crowding, prominent upper central incisors that were more pronounced than in most children, a short and stiff neck, and poor patient cooperation due to mental retardation and occasional autistic behavior made airway management difficult. This case should alert anesthesiologists to the greater difficulties of managing patients with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome when they become adults.

[Anesthetic management in a patient with Cornelia de Lange syndrome]

An eight-year-old boy with Cornelia de Lange syndrome underwent left inguinal hernioplasty and orchiopexy under general anesthesia. The patient with Cornelia de Lange syndrome had severe primordial growth failure with muscle-skeletal system such as cleft palate, micrognathia, and micromelia of the extremities and mental retardation as well as characteristic faces such as deep supercilia, etc. We suspected difficulty of endotracheal intubation due to this syndrome. Anesthesia was induced with intravenous injection of atropine 0.1 mg and ketamine 10 mg followed by inhalation of nitrous oxide 3 l x min(-1), oxygen 3 l x min(-1), and sevoflurane 5% without any muscle relaxant. Although his neck and temporomandibular joint were stiff, his trachea was intubated orally without difficulty with a 4.5 mm ID tracheal tube using a Macintosh laryngoscope. Anesthesia was maintained uneventfully by bolus intravenous injection of ketamine 5 mg and inhalation of oxygen and sevoflurane 2-3% with mechanical ventilation. The anesthetic management in a patient with Cornelia de Lange syndrome should be carried out with careful preoperative evaluation of physical status, and especially the difficult endotracheal intubation should be kept in mind. Induction of general anesthesia with injection of ketamine followed by inhalation of sevoflurane without muscle relaxant is a safe method in Cornelia de Lange syndrome.

[General anesthesia for a patient with Cornelia de Lange syndrome]

Cornelia de Lange syndrome involves anomalies in cardio-vascular and musculo-skeletal systems, and mental retardation. In addition, a patient with this syndrome shows a peculiar look. A 22-year-old woman with Cornelia de Lange syndrome underwent general anesthesia twice. She has a small mouth, thin lips, a short neck, short limbs, and stiffness of the neck and some joints associated with slight mental retardation. She was scheduled for arthroscopy and then for rotational acetabular osteotomy and valgus osteotomy. The maximum distance between the upper and lower incisors was 34 mm, when she opened her mouth. Anesthesia was induced with sevoflurane increased slowly to 7.0% in oxygen 6 l.min-1 in both procedures. After the administration of 4% lidocaine 3.5 ml into the pharynx, orotracheal intubation was attempted, but was not successful. Then blind naso-tracheal intubation was performed successfully under spontaneous respiration under sevoflurane-oxygen inhalation. The induction of anesthesia with sevoflurane under spontaneous respiration was useful for blind naso-tracheal intubation in a case with difficult intubation such as in Cornelia de Lange syndrome.

Total hip reconstruction in a woman with Cornelia de Lange syndrome: a case report

More than 250 cases of Cornelia de Lange syndrome have been reported in the medical literature, but not have described the use of hip reconstruction to correct the congenital dysplasia that may be associated with this condition. This article reports the application of a bipolar hemiarthroplasty and acetabular allograft reconstruction for a 32-year old woman with congenital dysplasia and degenerative joint disease of the hip secondary to de Lange's syndrome. On admission, she was in considerable pain and unable to bear weight on the affected extremity. Her Harris hip score was 25. Following surgical intervention and a well-designed plan of rehabilitation, the patient's functional status improved markedly. Her Harris hip score was 72, and her pain was alleviated.

Cecal volvulus in the Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is a congenital malformation characterized by severe growth failure, mental retardation, and multiple physical anomalies. A variety of gastrointestinal anomalies have been described, including malrotation, colonic duplication, and nonfixation of the colon. Two patients with Cornelia de Lange syndrome presented to our institution with acute distal bowel obstruction. In both cases, emergency laparotomy showed cecal volvulus with necrosis of the terminal ileum, cecum, and ascending colon, secondary to nonfixation of the colon. Resection and an end-ileostomy were performed and later successfully reversed in both patients. Intestinal obstruction is a known cause of death in these children, and nonfixation of the colon has been identified during autopsy. Parents of children with Cornelia de Lange syndrome should be counseled as to the possibility of bowel obstruction resulting from cecal volvulus. This awareness may lead to earlier identification and treatment of this potentially lethal gastrointestinal tract anomaly.

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia not amenable to prenatal or neonatal repair: Brachmann-de Lange syndrome

Brachmann-de Lange syndrome (BDLS) is a variable multiple congenital anomaly syndrome that occasionally includes congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). CDH per se is commonly diagnosed antenatally and has been corrected with increasing success in utero and by neonatal repair with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In utero repair requires normal karyotype as well as the absence of other lethal anomalies. Postnatal repair in combination with ECMO has resulted in improved neonatal outcome and has been recommended in all cases not having in utero repair. We describe a fetus diagnosed with a diaphragmatic hernia at 18 weeks of gestation in a woman whose only other pregnancy has been a 16 week abortus diagnosed with Fryns syndrome (FS). FS is a lethal, variable congenital anomaly syndrome that includes CDH, which is thought to contribute to the lethality of the syndrome. In utero repair was considered, but rejected because of the position of the liver and suspected FS. The patient elected to carry the pregnancy to term. Postnatal repair with ECMO was considered; however, the infant died at several hours of age because of severe pulmonary hypoplasia, being considered ineligible for ECMO. The diagnosis of BDLS was made at autopsy and suggests that the first case may, in fact, have been BDLS. In spite of recent success in the repair of CDH both in et ex utero, CDH in association with BDLS is likely lethal, and women with fetuses diagnosed antenatally with CDH and BDLS should be counseled as such.

Cosmetic surgery for Cornelia de Lange syndrome

A case of Cornelia de Lange syndrome is presented in which modern plastic surgery was used to reduce excessive facial hair. Hairless forehead skin was enlarged using a tissue expander and earlobes were resurfaced.

Gastroesophageal dysfunction in Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Children with Cornelia de Lange (CDL) syndrome present with feeding problems related to swallowing incoordination, poor esophageal motility, and gastroesophageal reflux (GER). These abnormalities of esophageal function result in failure to thrive and life-threatening aspiration pneumonia. Severe GER was documented in four patients with CDL syndrome. Three were managed successfully with an antireflux procedure (Nissen fundoplication) and a concomitant feeding gastrostomy. These observations confirm the high incidence of abnormal esophageal function in patients with CDL syndrome, and suggest that an antireflux procedure and feeding gastrostomy are important considerations in their clinical management.

[An interdisciplinary coordinated therapy concept exemplified by the Cornelia de Lange syndrome]

This is a case-report of a male infant with typical signs of Cornelia de Lange syndrome. Coordination to subtype I or II of the disease is difficult, as somatical and intracerebral dysplasia (partial cerebellar aplasia) are combined. The etio-pathogenetic back-ground and the symptoms of the disorder will be discussed. Finally we point out to a omnidirectional therapeutic concept including several surgical and nonsurgical disciplines with the aim, to make life as easy as possible for these children.

Modified Orticochea pharyngoplasty for the correction of a feeding problem associated with Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is a collection of congenital anomalies. Its victims present considerable burdens in home care, not the least of which is feeding. The use of the modified Orticochea pharyngoplasty for correction of nasal food emission affords the opportunity for application of plastic surgical principles to seemingly unrelated clinical events. The salient features of the syndrome are presented, and the literature is reviewed.

Duplication of the pinna (polyotia) in a case of Brachmann-de Lange syndrome

A rare case of polyotia in Brachmann-de Lange syndrome (Goodman and Gorlin, 1977) is presented and a method for the surgical correction of the duplicated auricle briefly outlined. A review of relevant literature is included in the discussion.