CASE REPORT article

Front. Pediatr.

Sec. Pediatric Surgery

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1501423

Perioperative Care in Pediatric OTC Deficiency and Goldenhar Syndrome: A Case Report

Provisionally accepted
Daniela  Torres SalazarDaniela Torres SalazarAndres  Felipe BeltranAndres Felipe BeltranSergio  Alzate-RicaurteSergio Alzate-Ricaurte*
  • Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is an X-linked disorder disrupting the urea cycle in 1 per 56,000 births. Goldenhar syndrome (GS), characterized by craniofacial and vertebral anomalies, is seen in 1 per 3,000-5,000 births.Understanding the pathophysiology and manifestations of both is paramount for developing a perioperative plan. This case report presents a 21-month-old infant with both OTCD and GS undergoing hemifacial malformation correction surgery, the first such report in medical literature. The patient initially presented with lethargy, somnolence, headache, and seizures due to acute liver failure and metabolic acidosis.Diagnosis of OTCD was confirmed through elevated ammonia levels and urine organic acids analysis. The surgical plan involved mandible reconstruction using an autologous costochondral graft. Preoperative management included a low-protein diet and sodium benzoate administration to control ammonia levels. Anesthesia induction and maintenance were carefully managed, with close monitoring of metabolic parameters. The surgery lasted 4 hours, during which the patient required transfusion therapy due to easy bleeding. Postoperatively, the patient was monitored in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for 48 hours before transfer to the general ward. The importance of meticulous preoperative assessment, airway planning, and vigilant intraoperative management in OTCD and GS is underscored. This case highlights the challenges in managing rare comorbidities and emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach. The collaborative effort between specialties led to successful management of this complex case, providing valuable insights for future similar scenarios.

Keywords: Perioperative Care, Goldenhar Syndrome, Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase Deficiency Disease, Acid-Base Imbalance, Craniofacial Abnormalities

Received: 26 Sep 2024; Accepted: 25 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Torres Salazar, Beltran and Alzate-Ricaurte. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Sergio Alzate-Ricaurte, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia

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