Epidural anesthesia for major abdominal surgery complicated by muscular dystrophy--a case report

Anesthesia for patients with muscular dystrophy is a great challenge to the anesthesiologists. A 56-year-old female with muscular dystrophy was diagnosed as having colon cancer. Since surgical intervention was indicated, epidural anesthesia with double catheters was performed. The entire anesthetic course was uneventful. Based on the experience obtained, it is concluded that epidural anesthesia offers a good alternative to general anesthesia for major abdominal surgery complicated by muscular dystrophy.