Failed videolaryngoscope intubation in a patient with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and spinal cord injury

A case of difficult intubation in a patient with cervical spinal cord injury with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is described. The trachea could not be intubated with a videolaryngoscope, and successful intubation was achieved with a laryngeal mask airway device (LMAD) and a fibreoptic bronchoscope (FOB).

A 65-yr-old male developed sudden tetraplegia after a fall. Initial attempts at securing his airway were unsuccessful with a videolaryngoscope, but success was achieved with a LMAD and a FOB. Diagnostic imaging revealed no cervical spine fracture but demonstrated severe airway distortion from DISH and a spinal cord contusion accounting for his tetraplegia. Subcutaneous neck emphysema likely secondary to difficult intubation was also identified, but it did not result in additional morbidity.

Although often considered to be a benign entity, DISH can predispose patients to catastrophic cervical injury and difficult airway management. Careful review of plain radiographs in the spinal cord injury patient may assist with appropriate selection of airway interventions. The videolaryngoscope is useful for difficult airways, but its effectiveness may be compromised with an anteriorly displaced airway in combination with restricted cervical movement and limited oropharyngeal airspace.