Airway Management: Difficulty of Intubation and Range of Movement of the Thyroid Cartilage

Abstract

PurposeDifficult endotracheal intubation has been associated with a number of anatomic factors. According to our experience, the range of movement of thyroid cartilage can be used as a useful test to determine the difficulty in endotracheal intubation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the range of movement of thyroid cartilage and difficulty in intubation. DesignCross-sectional study. MethodsThis study was carried out on 400 patients at (Shohada Ashayer Hospital, Khorramabad). After obtaining consent letters from the patients who were between 18 and 60 years of age, the patients underwent general anesthesia. The participants were evaluated by Mallampati and other evaluating tests. The range of movement of thyroid cartilage from the midline was measured and recorded. FindingsThere were significant correlation between the range of movement of thyroid cartilage and thyromental distance. In addition, in patients with Cormack-Lehane class 1, the mean range of movement of thyroid cartilage was significantly more than the patients with Cormack-Lehane class 3 and 4. ConclusionsThe outcomes of our study indicate that the range of movement of thyroid cartilage can be used for predication of difficult intubation. However, further randomized trials should be conducted in this regard.