Myoclonic movements following induction of anesthesia with propofol: a case report

Abstract

Objective: To report a case of myoclonic movements during an induction of anesthesia using propofol. Abnormal movements resulting from propofol are uncommon but there have been a number of such cases since propofol was introduced.

Clinical features: An 1-year-old boy with a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea was scheduled to undergo adenotonsillectomy. He demonstrated myoclonic movements during anesthetic induction using propofol. He was then given isoflurane and his airway was secured with an endotracheal tube after full muscle relaxation by succinylcholine. The anesthetic maintenance was uneventful as was the emergence. The patient recovered smoothly without neurological deficit.

Conclusion: Propofol, an intravenous anesthetic, with strong evidence of anticonvulsant property, could, in susceptible patients, under certain conditions, act as a proconvulsant, and should, thus, be avoided or cautiously used in some patients.