Ultrasound Measurement of Skin-to-Epiglottis Distance for Prediction of Difficult Airway in Adult Patients
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Tracheal Intubation, Elective Surgery, Tracheal Diamater Measurement, Ultrasound Evaluation of Airway. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Turkey (Türkiye)
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Ultrasound Measurement of Skin to Epiglottis Distance for Prediction of Difficult Airway in Adult Patients
Overview
This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the predictive value of ultrasound-measured skin to epiglottis distance for difficult airway in adult patients undergoing elective or emergency procedures requiring airway management. The correlation between ultrasound measurements and standard airway assessment parameters will be analyzed.
Detailed description
Airway management is a critical component of anesthesia and intensive care practice. Predicting difficult airway remains challenging with conventional bedside tests. Ultrasound has emerged as a non-invasive, bedside tool for airway assessment. This study aims to investigate the relationship between skin-to-epiglottis distance measured by ultrasound and difficult laryngoscopy/intubation. Secondary comparisons will include traditional airway assessment methods such as Mallampati score, thyromental distance, and neck circumference
Primary outcome measures
- Skin to epiglottis distance [Time frame: Preintubation (within 30 minutes before procedure)]
Secondary outcome measures (4)
- Incidence of difficult laryngoscopy (Cormack-Lehane grade ≥ 3) [Time frame: During intubation procedure (intraoperative period)]
- Intubation Difficulty Score (IDS) [Time frame: During intubation procedure]
- Correlation between ultrasound measurements and Mallampati score [Time frame: Preoperative assessment]
- Skin-to-Epiglottis Distance Measured by Ultrasound [Time frame: Immediately before induction of anesthesia]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- ≥18 yaş elective surgery
Exclusion criteria
- emergency surgery
- head and neck surgery
- pregnant patients
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
Study locations
Turkey (Türkiye) · 1 center
- Hacettepe Univercity — Ankara
Publications
- Gani, E. (2020). Obez hastalarda zor entübasyonun öngörülmesinde ultrasonla ölçülen cilt-epiglot mesafesinin önemi (Tıpta Uzmanlık Tezi). Düzce Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi, Anesteziyoloji ve Reanimasyon Anabilim Dalı, Düzce.
- Uzumcugil F, Celebioglu EC, Ozkaragoz DB, Yilbas AA, Akca B, Lotfinagsh N, Celebioglu B. Body Surface Area Is Not a Reliable Predictor of Tracheal Tube Size in Children. Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. 2018 Dec;11(4):301-308. doi: 10.21053/ceo.2018.00178. Epub 2018 Aug 25. PMID 30139232
- Ahmad I, El-Boghdadly K, Iliff H, Dua G, Higgs A, Huntington M, Mir F, Nouraei SAR, O'Sullivan EP, Patel A, Rivett K, McNarry AF. Difficult Airway Society 2025 guidelines for management of unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation in adults. Br J Anaesth. 2026 Jan;136(1):283-307. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2025.10.006. Epub 2025 Nov 7. PMID 41203471
- Altinsoy KE, Bayhan BU. Ultrasound-Measured Skin-to-Epiglottis Distance as a Predictor of Difficult Intubation in Obese Patients: A Prospective Observational Study. J Clin Med. 2025 Mar 19;14(6):2092. doi: 10.3390/jcm14062092. PMID 40142901
- Sayir TN, Tuncer B, Erkilic E. Evaluation of upper airway ultrasonographic measurements in predicting difficult intubation: A cross-section of the Turkish population. Open Med (Wars). 2024 Aug 21;19(1):20241013. doi: 10.1515/med-2024-1013. eCollection 2024. PMID 39176250
- Cinar Kose EO, Tekin M, Cesur S, Cam I, Baykara ZN. Evaluation of neck ultrasound measurements as a difficult airway predictor: A prospective observational study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Jul 19;103(29):e38591. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000038591. PMID 39029084
- Daggupati H, Maurya I, Singh RD, Ravishankar M. Development of a scoring system for predicting difficult intubation using ultrasonography. Indian J Anaesth. 2020 Mar;64(3):187-192. doi: 10.4103/ija.IJA_702_19. Epub 2020 Mar 11. PMID 32346164
- Sotoodehnia M, Rafiemanesh H, Mirfazaelian H, Safaie A, Baratloo A. Ultrasonography indicators for predicting difficult intubation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Emerg Med. 2021 Jul 3;21(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s12873-021-00472-w. PMID 34217221
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07609147 · SBA 26/158