[General anesthesia with sevoflurane and vecuronium for patients with dystrophia myotonica and progressive muscular dystrophy].

A 9 year old male previously diagnosed as progressive muscular dystrophy whose serum CPK5430IU.l-1 was very high received general anesthesia. Before anesthesia, dantrolene sodium 2 mg.kg-1 was given. Anesthesia was induced with thiamylal 100 mg and vecuronium bromide 3 mg. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (0.5%) in nitrous oxide (66%) and oxygen (33%). The course of anesthesia was uneventful. The operative time was 80 minutes. At the end of the operation, the patient recovered smoothly from anesthesia. A 46 year old female with dystrophia myotonia also received general anesthesia. The patient was diagnosed as having this disease 26 years previously. Preoperatively, the patient was suspected to have cardiac damage. Anesthesia was induced with thiamylal 100 mg, fentanyl 100 micrograms, midazolam 5 mg and vecuronium bromide 4 mg, and maintained with sevoflurane (1.0%) in nitrous oxide (66%) and oxygen (33%). Anesthesia was uneventful, but at the end of the operation, the patient could not breath fully by herself. She was placed on a ventilator and observed carefully. The endotracheal tube was removed 150 minutes after the induction of anesthesia. In these two cases, sevoflurane and vecuronium bromide were used safely.