Anaesthetic considerations in Shrinking Man syndrome: two case reports

Shrinking Man syndrome (SMS) is a rare but often serious complication of dialysis-dependent end-stage renal disease, characterized by significant loss of height, bone pain, bone deformity, and skin itching. Patients with SMS always have abnormal facial changes and cardiovascular system damage (manifested by hypertension, hypotension, cardiovascular calcification, and valvular heart disease), which pose a great challenge to anaesthesiologists. The purpose of this report is to describe our anaesthetic experience regarding two patients with SMS combined with alterations of the airway and cardiovascular system.

We describe two cases of SMS treated at West China Hospital, a tertiary care centre in Chengdu, China. All cases met the diagnostic criteria, which comprised 1) dialysis-dependent end-stage renal disease, 2) loss of height, and 3) bone pain and bone deformity. One patient had an anticipated difficult airway and moderate-to-severe mitral stenosis. The other patient presented with significant hypotension. Anaesthetic considerations included awake fibreoptic bronchoscopy-assisted tracheal intubation, real-time transoesophageal echocardiogram monitoring and individualized blood pressure management strategies.

This case series highlights the importance of adequate preoperative assessment and preparation, as well as individualized anaesthetic management, in patients with SMS.