A&A practice
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Arterial tortuosity syndrome is a rare hereditary autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder characterized by elongation and tortuosity of the large- and medium-sized arteries. We present the case of a 13-year old child with arterial tortuosity syndrome who underwent occipital encephaloduroarteriomyosynangiosis for posterior circulation insufficiency. The constellation of clinical features in our patient portended significant anesthetic concerns, including difficult airway due to craniofacial abnormalities, risk of stroke, and myocardial infarction due to intracerebral and coronary arterial tortuosity and stenosis. The pertinent anesthetic implications are summarized, and we describe the anesthetic technique and use of multimodal neuromonitoring relevant for the case.
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Sensory innervation of the breast is complex, thereby making it difficult to perform any surgical procedure with a single regional anesthesia technique. Because of the involvement of pectoral muscles and extension of the incision into the axilla, a modified radical mastectomy makes it further challenging and requires multiple techniques. We have used a new combination of regional techniques in this case series and found that it provided complete surgical anesthesia with a smaller volume of local anesthetic.
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The surgical procedure to separate conjoined twins represents a rare and major challenge. One of the most feared perioperative scenarios is the presence of coagulopathy secondary to bleeding. ⋯ This approach allowed early detection and treatment of acquired hypofibrinogenemia, which resulted in minimal exposure to blood products. This case reflects the increasing clinical interest in early avoidance of fibrinogen deficiency in complex noncardiac pediatric surgery.
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Acute transient vertigo, ataxia, and hypertension after trigeminal nerve block via a coronoid approach with alcohol have been reported previously. We report a similar complication after the same block with nerve stimulator guidance with bupivacaine without alcohol. Stimulation of the vestibular canal by the needle, or disturbance to its blood supply, presence of an abnormal anatomical connection of the mandibular nerve and vestibular system or spasm of cerebellar arteries from the stimulating needle are possible causations rather than the drug used, whether it is alcohol or bupivacaine. Awareness of such rare but serious complications is important, and radiological-guided interventional treatment may minimize such complications.
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The development of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in a patient undergoing epilepsy surgery without perioperative hypertension is uncommon. A young man having epilepsy surgery with normal blood pressures had an unexplained drop in his processed electroencephalogram (pEEG) levels intraoperatively. This alerted and prompted us to search for the cause. ⋯ The intraoperative findings of pEEG, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and EEG postoperatively prompted a diagnosis of PRES. The patient was managed conservatively and had a full recovery. This case report highlights the role of brain electrical activity monitors in PRES.