Measurement of Neck Circumference, Tongue thickness and Skin to Epiglottis Distance as Predictors of Difficult Intubation: A Prospective Study

Airway Assessment is essential in pre anesthetic assessment. Anticipating and preparing for difficulty airway management crucial to avoid catastrophes. Routine operative examination usually includes mouth opening dentition, Mallampati classification, thyromental distance neck movements. Neck circumference a quick bedside test determine difficult laryngoscopy. Increased tongue thickness skin epiglottis affects performance of laryngoscopy tracheal intubation increasing the risk airway. Presently there search non-invasive accurate tools overcome limitations clinical assessment tests. Ultrasonography has been evolving as useful device especially soft tissue structures anterior surface neck. Here we studied measurement ultrasound tonguethickness predictors intubation. The Aim study predict by measuring circumference, epiglottis. Prospective observational study, 120 patients posted surgery under general anesthesia, Department Meenakshi medical college, Kanchipuram. After institutional Human ethical committee clearance, Patients were screened during preoperative undergoing procedures anaesthesia. other parameters measured with tape between Skin linear probe. grouped into Group E( Easy Intubation) whose Cormack-lehane grade was 1 2 D ( Difficult intubation) 3 4. SPSS version 16 used statistical analysis. There no significance seen age, sex, height among easy but weight (p <0.05), Thyromental distance(p<0.05) Sterno-mental distance(p<0.05). High Distance distance(p<0.001), Tongue thickness(p<0.001) Circumference(p<0.001) cases. ultrasonographic can unanticipated