Anaesthetic management of total craniopagus twins for magnetic resonance imaging and cerebral angiography.

Abstract

We describe the anaesthetic management of 4-yr-old total craniopagus twins for radiological investigations. There are some unique anaesthetic problems associated with this condition. These include cross-circulation between the twins that results in induction of both the twins after the administration of i.v. induction agent to one twin and difficulty in mask ventilating both the twins simultaneously due to the angle between the heads; different arterial pressures in the two children complicate pharmacological management and underline the importance of physiological measures to control arterial pressure. Adequate preparation and teamwork is the keystone to the management of these patients.