Anesthetic management of patients with Klippel-Feil syndrome, a case series

Abstract

Introduction: Klippel feil syndrome (KFS) is a rare entity which is characterized by failure of normal segmentation of cervical vertebrae resulting in short neck with restricted movement and cervical instability. This anomaly increases the risk of neurological damage during airway instrumentation like laryngoscopy and positioning for surgery.Case Rports: We report three patients, a 42 year old male patient with KFS who scheduled for craniocervical fusion under general anesthesia and a 6 year old girl candidate for cleft palate repair and a 26 year old woman candidate for craniocervical fusion.Conclusion: All the cases were successfully managed using fiberoptic bronchoscope in first two cases and gum elastic bougie (GEB) in the last case. All things together, Awake fiberoptic intubation could be the safest technique for airway management.