[Anesthetic management of a patient with Alzheimer's disease]

We gave anesthesia to a 60-year-old female patient in stage III (end stage) of Alzheimer's disease for sigmoidectomy. She had myoclonus and parkinsonism and it was not possible to communicate with her verbally. After induction of anesthesia with thiopental, she had a catheter inserted into epidural space. Without endotracheal intubation, anesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide, oxygen and isoflurane under spontaneous ventilation supplemented with mepivacaine from the epidural catheter. No muscle relaxant was used. Recovery from the anesthesia was uneventful. No complication was observed during anesthesia and postoperatively.