Anesthetic management of a patient with myotonic dystrophy for laparoscopic cholecystectomy--a case report.

Myotonic dystrophy (MD) is rare disease that offers challenges to anesthesiologists. We report a case of adult patient with myotonic dystrophy who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A 48-year-old male patient, known case of MD, was presented for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Physical examination revealed, young man, calm, quite, cooperative, not in pain or distress with frontal baldness, temporal bone recession, elongated face, mild degree of ptosis and swan neck. Under complete aseptic conditions, thoracic epidural T6-7 with catheter insertion was performed while the patient was placed on left lateral side. Plain bupivacaine 0.5% 7cc was injected through the catheter. Level of analgesia tested with ice reached up to T4. Intravenous sedation was achieved with midazolam 2 mg and ketamine 50 mg. The patient was comfortably lying supine on warm heated mattress, except of bilateral shoulder pains which was relieved with midazolam and ketamine. In conclusion, regional anesthesia, spinal or epidural, is preferable in MD patients. Shoulder pains is the main intraoperative problem encountered in our patient. Therefore, studies are needed for treating shoulder pain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report in a patient with MD who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy under thoracic epidural analgesia. Myotonic dystrophy (M) is rare disease and represents challenges to anesthesiologists. We report a case of adult patient with myotonic dystrophy who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy.