[Anesthetic management of a patient with urticaria pigmentosa].

Urticaria pigmentosa is a usually a benign and asymptomatic cutaneous variant of mastocytosis, which is a relatively rare disorder characterized by abnormal aggregates of mast cells in the dermis. These aggregations, if present, can abruptly release vasoactive mediators such as histamine, heparin, and prostaglandins under some physical stresses and may produce flushing, hypotension, syncope, shock, etc. One of the interesting aspects to an anesthesiologist is the effect of drugs administered perioperatively on mast cell degranulation. We report an infant case of urticaria pigmentosa and discuss the anesthetic significance especially of mastocytosis during anesthesia and surgery.