COMPARISION OF THYROMENTAL HEIGHT TEST (TMHT), MODIFIED MALLAMPATI SCORE (MMD) AND THYROMENTAL DISTANCE (TMD) IN PREDICTING DIFFICULT LARYNGOSCOPY.

Dr. Anupa Negandhi; Dr. Syed M Shimar

Volume : VIII, Issue : II, February - 2019

COMPARISION OF THYROMENTAL HEIGHT TEST (TMHT), MODIFIED MALLAMPATI SCORE (MMD) AND THYROMENTAL DISTANCE (TMD) IN PREDICTING DIFFICULT LARYNGOSCOPY.

Dr. Anupa Negandhi, Dr. Syed M Shimar

Abstract :

Introduction: Handling and management of the airway is the cornerstone of anaesthesia. Anaesthetizing a patient is only possible and safe once the airway is protected. In scenarios of difficult airway, identification and proper planning of conducting anaesthesia starts right from the pre–anaesthetic assessment. The incidence of difficult tracheal intubation following induction of general anaesthesia has been estimated at 3–18%. Materials and methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 80 patients undergoing routine surgeries under general anaesthesia. After obtaining written informed consent and ethical clearance, 3 indices, the thyromental height test, modified mallampati test and thyromental distance were assessed along with routine pre–anaesthetic evaluation. We compared the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy of TMHT with other bedside tests such as the modified Mallampati score and TMD in predicting difficult laryngoscopy. Any Cormack and Lehane’s intubation grade II b and above was considered to be difficult laryngoscopy. Results: TMHT had the highest sensitivity (84.62%) and specificity (98.97%), and had the most PPV (88%) and NPV (98.63%) when compared with the modified Mallampati score and TMD. Conclusion: TMHT appears promising as a single anatomical measure to predict the risk of difficult laryngoscopy but it still requires further validations