Airway management of an achondroplastic dwarf with hydrocephalus undergoing decompression surgery

The neurological problem of achondroplasia is hydrocephalus which may arise from stenosis of the foramen magnum secondary to occipital hypertrophy. The spine is also affected by abnormalities in the cervical region (odontoid hypoplasia and occipitalization of C1), which can compound the problem of cord compression. We report a rare instance of achondroplasia in a 3-month-old female infant with the risk of spinal cord compression during the manipulation of endotracheal intubation. For fear of that the surgeon inclined awake intubation in order that spinal cord intactness could be confirmed by neurological test on the spot after intubation. Awake oral endotracheal intubation was performed although with some difficulty, yet the motor function at the first cervical spinal level was unmolested as revealed by neurological test after intubation.