Anesthetic management of spinal muscle atrophy type II in a parturient

Abstract

We report the peripartum management of a 30-year-old wheelchair-bound nullipara woman with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type II, including severe restrictive lung disease and Harrington rods. At 38 weeks gestation, she was admitted for an induction of labor with neuraxial analgesia, but she subsequently had to be delivered via cesarean section under general anesthesia. We describe the anesthetic implications of SMA on labor and delivery management and review the available literature. © 2011 Bollag et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.