Successful airway management in a patient with progeria

We present the case of a twenty one year old female with progeria for dental surgery, in whom tracheal intubation was extremely difficult secondary to multiple anatomic factors. These included poor mouth opening, small mandible and neck stiffness. The trachea was secured by using a flexible fiberoptic bronchocscope. Practitioners caring for patients with progeria should be aware that a intubation of the trachea may be difficult or impossible using direct laryngoscopy, and prepare for an alternative plan. Keywords: Progeria | fiberoptic bronchoscope | intubation | anesthesia | difficult airway
Introduction Progeria is a genetic disorder that resembles a state of accelerated aging. The majority of those afflicted have Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, which is usually caused by a single nucleotide [...]