Correlation of ultrasound guided airway parameters to the cormack-lehane grading - a one year hospital based prospective observational study

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Background and aims: Difficult as well as unsuccessful tracheal intubation after performing direct laryngoscopy is one of the most feared complication of general anaesthesia and is associated with serious morbidity and mortality. Ultrasound of the upper airway may prove to be a useful adjunct to traditional clinical assessment tools, as it has been successful in visualizing the proper anatomy and critical structures of the airway. We undertook this study to know the efficacy of ultrasound in determining parameters namely the ratio of pre-epiglottic depth to distance between epiglottis and mid-point of vocal cords (Pre-E/E-VC), hyomental distance ratio (HMDR) and the anterior neck soft tissue thickness at vocal cords level (ANS-VC) and correlating them to the CL grading to predict difficult airway.