Laryngeal mask airway guided tracheal intubation in a neonate with the Pierre Robin syndrome

Endotracheal intubation in infants with the Pierre Robin syndrome may sometimes be impossible to accomplish by conventional means. To aid difficult tracheal intubation many different techniques have been described. We present a case, in which we successfully intubated a small-for-date newborn boy with the Pierre Robin syndrome by using a modified laryngeal mask airway (no. 1) as a guide for the endotracheal tube. The technique is easy to perform, less traumatic and less time-consuming than multiple attempts at laryngoscopy or blind tracheal intubation.