Unrecognized difficult airway management during anesthesia in two brachycephalic dogs with narrow cricoid cartilage

• Published in: Journal of Veterinary Medical Science Vol. 83; no. 2; pp. 234 - 240
• Main Authors: TAMURA, Jun, OYAMA, Norihiko, MATSUMOTO, So, OWAKI, Ryo, HOSOYA, Kenji, OKUMURA, Masahiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE 01.02.2021; Japan Science and Technology Agency; The Japanese Society of Veterinary Science
• Subjects: Airway management; Anesthesia; brachycephalic dog; Cartilage; Computed tomography; difficult airway management; Intubation; narrow cricoid cartilage; Respiratory tract; Surgery; narrow cricoid cartilage; brachycephalic dog; difficult airway management; anesthesia
• ISSN: 0916-7250; 1347-7439
• DOI: 10.1292/jvms.20-0446

Difficulty in airway management during anesthesia was noted in a 10-year-old, castrated, male Pekingese dog and a 13-year-old male French Bulldog. They showed strong resistance during tracheal tube insertion through the subglottic lumen. Therefore, the airway was secured by using a small endotracheal tube or supraglottic airway device. Computed tomography scan revealed a markedly narrower vertical dimension of the cricoid cartilage compared to that seen in common brachycephalic breeds. Posterior glottis was relatively more accessible for translaryngeal intubation in the present cases. Our findings showed that brachycephalic airway syndrome may be associated with narrow cricoid cartilage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical case report of airway management during anesthesia in dogs with narrow cricoid cartilage.