Anesthesia for an achondroplastic individual with coexisting atlantoaxial dislocation

Achondroplasia is a congenital, disfiguring condition which is the most common form of short-limbed dwarfism. Defective cartilage formation is the hallmark of this condition, which results in a wide spectrum of skeletal abnormalities including spinal defects. Various other systems such as cardiac, pulmonary, and neurological can be simultaneously affected adversely including airway defects. Anesthetic management of such individuals is complicated because of their multisystem affliction. Concomitant atlantoaxial dislocation can further amplify the difficulty during the administration of anesthesia in such patients. We report the successful anesthetic conduct of such a patient with the positive outcome.