Epidural Anesthesia Combined with Light General Anesthesia for a Juvenile with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Undergoing Corrective Spine Surgery: A Case Report

Abstract

General anesthesia (GA) is associated with serious concerns in advanced cases of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). Despite several benefits of applying regional anesthesia (RA), recommendation for RA is controversial in CMT due to insufficient supporting documents and trials. We report combined epidural/general anesthesia for a 12-year-old boy with CMT disease undergoing major spine corrective surgery. This manuscript is presented not only to evaluate the costs and benefits of RA, but also to highlight the safety of neuraxial anesthesia and emphasis on the broad potential role of RA to reduce risks of GA in CMT patients.