RESUMO
Ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block (PNB) has become a popular anesthetic procedure. We report a case of an enlarged brachial plexus nerve noted on ultrasonographic images, as part of PNB, which was diagnosed postoperatively as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMTD), an inherited neurological disorder of the peripheral nerves. Although nerve enlargement is characteristic of demyelinating diseases such as CMTD, the use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of neurological disorders is a developing area for neurologists and anesthesiologists can lack knowledge in this emerging field. Unusual nerve presentation on ultrasonographic images during PNB anesthetic procedures should be recognized as being indicative of underlying neurologic disorders. This case highlights that increased awareness of the diagnosis of underlying neurologic disorders by ultrasonography would assist the general practice of PNB in anesthetic medicine. This is especially important as underlying neurological conditions can have important consequences for patient-appropriate anesthesia and may inform best anesthetic practice. A new category, "neurological disorder on ultrasound image", should be introduced to PNB knowledge in anesthetic field.
RESUMO
A 54-year-old man with infective tricuspid endocarditis and an infective right coronary artery aneurysm was scheduled for simultaneous coronary artery aneurysmectomy and tricuspid valvulectomy. However, the tricuspid valve replacement and annuloplasty procedures could not be performed because vegetation was noted on all his tricuspid leaflets. Moreover, the infective right coronary artery aneurysm was located proximal to the annulus of the tricuspid valve. Complications of tricuspid valvulectomy include tricuspid regurgitation, right ventricular capacity load and right ventricular pressure load. In the present case, after the patient was weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) revealed severe tricuspid regurgitation and shifting of the interventricular septum toward the left ventricle at the telediastolic stage. We managed this condition on the basis of the TEE findings with fluid therapy and a nitroglycerin vasoactive agonist, and adjusted the ventilator setting to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance. In the present case of infective tricuspid endocarditis with infective right coronary artery aneurysm, the selection of the appropriate surgical method was important. Moreover, respiratory management which did not increase pulmonary vascular resistance and adequate fluid management based on TEE findings after weaning from CPB were equally important during anesthesia for tricuspid valvulectomy.
