Introduction:

Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic diseases characterized by the compromised synthesis or regeneration of the muscle contractile proteins. Although they belong to the same group of diseases, they have different characteristics in their clinical presentation and in their genetic origin. These diseases are classified as orphan as they have a low incidence among the general population, but represent a huge anesthetic challenge, particularly among the pediatric population.

Objective:

To describe the main clinical aspects of muscular dystrophies, their etiology, anesthetic implications, and the major complications that may occur during the perioperative management.

Methodology:

A review article is discussed based on a systematic search of the literature to produce a descriptive review. The main source of information is case reports obtained from databases as PubMed, Google Scholar, and websites specialized in rare diseases, to describe the main anesthetic implications of muscular dystrophies.

Results:

A total of 65 references were identified by the authors in accordance with the relevance of the topic for the final review.

Conclusion:

Muscular dystrophies are a heterogeneous group of diseases that share a common etiology due to direct injury of the muscle fiber with a progressive and systemic compromise. Each type of muscular dystrophy is different in terms of its clinical presentation, genetic origin, and anesthetic risks which are mainly cardiovascular complications due to malignant arrhythmias, acute rhabdomyolysis triggered by drugs used in anesthesia, and perioperative respiratory failure.

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