Anaesthetic implications of Costello syndrome

Costello syndrome is a disorder that primarily involves ectodermal tissues and is characterized by mental and growth retardation, distinctive coarse facies, redundant skin (neck, palms and soles), and papillomata (perioral, nasal and anal). Of primary concern to anaesthesiologists are potential airway difficulties related a short neck, macroglossia, hypertrophied tonsillar and supraglottic tissues, laryngeal papillomata and choanal atresia. A significant percentage of patients also have cardiac involvement which may manifest as congenital heart defects, arrhythmias, valvular dysfunction, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Central nervous system involvement includes developmental delay and seizure disorders while endocrine abnormalities have been reported including hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction resulting in hypopituitarism, hypothyroidism, and hypoadrenalism. The authors present a 2-year old child with Costello syndrome who required anaesthesia for direct laryngoscopy, rigid bronchoscopy, bilateral pressure equalization tubes and tonsillectomy. The perioperative implications of the syndrome are discussed.