Ultrasound-Guided Taylor's Approach in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine which leads to ossification and formation of a classical bamboo spine. This poses a challenge to the anesthetist both in terms of administering general and regional anesthesia due to the limited mobility of the spine. With the advent of ultrasound as an aid in regional anesthesia, it has been relatively easy to perform a central neuraxial blockade in such patients though the skill requires some degree of expertise. Here, we have described the use of ultrasound as a guide for administering regional anesthesia to a patient with AS after initially attempting a blind approach which had failed due to difficult anatomy.