Assessment Of Difficult Airway Predictors: A Prospective Comparison Of Upper Airway Ultrasound And Conventional Anthropometric Measures

NCT07309978 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: AEŞH-EK-2-25-276
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 200
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate whether upper airway ultrasound measurements can improve the prediction of difficult airway compared with conventional anthropometric assessments. Adult patients undergoing elective procedures requiring airway management will be included. Ultrasound parameters such as tongue thickness, anterior neck soft tissue thickness, and hyomental distance will be measured before airway intervention. Standard clinical predictors (Mallampati score, thyromental distance, neck circumference, etc.) will also be recorded. The primary objective is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound-based measurements in predicting difficult laryngoscopy and intubation. The study seeks to provide evidence supporting the integration of upper airway ultrasound into routine pre-anesthetic airway evaluation.

Conditions

Prediction of Difficult Airway; Difficult Airway Intubation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound airway measurements for predicting difficult mask ventilation

  Evaluation of the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) of ultrasound-based airway measurements-tongue thickness, hyoid-to-skin distance, and epiglottis-to-skin distance-in predicting difficult mask ventilation. These ultrasound parameters will be compared with conventional anthropometric airway assessment tests to determine their predictive performance.

  Preoperative assessment (within 1 hour before induction of anesthesia)

Study Arms (1)

Single Cohort

This cohort includes all adult participants undergoing airway evaluation with upper airway ultrasound and standard anthropometric measurements. No interventions are applied; participants are observed prospectively to assess the predictive value of ultrasound parameters for difficult airway.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 99 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of adult patients (18-99 years) scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia at a tertiary care hospital. Participants represent typical surgical patients requiring preoperative airway assessment. No healthy volunteers will be enrolled. Only ASA I-III patients who can provide informed consent will be included.

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 18-99 years
• Patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia
• ASA Physical Status I-III
• Able to provide informed consent
• Undergoing preoperative airway evaluation

You may not qualify if:

• \- Emergency surgery cases
• Age \<18 years
• ASA Physical Status IV-V
• Pregnant or breastfeeding patients
• Patients with limited cooperation or inability to provide consent
• Known anatomical airway anomalies or previous major neck surgery

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi Gulhane Tip Fakultesi: lead

Study Sites (1)

Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi

Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)

RECRUITING

Related Publications (3)

• Rastogi A, Singh AK, Srivastava D, Kannaujia AK, Singh TK, Mishra P. Evaluation of ultrasound measured tongue thickness, tongue thickness-thyromental distance ratio, and skin-to-epiglottis distance in predicting unanticipated difficult laryngoscopy. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2025 Jan-Mar;41(1):151-157. doi: 10.4103/joacp.joacp_423_23. Epub 2025 Jan 23.

  PMID: 40026745 BACKGROUND

• Yao W, Wang B. Can tongue thickness measured by ultrasonography predict difficult tracheal intubation? Br J Anaesth. 2017 Apr 1;118(4):601-609. doi: 10.1093/bja/aex051.

  PMID: 28403413 BACKGROUND

• Roth D, Pace NL, Lee A, Hovhannisyan K, Warenits AM, Arrich J, Herkner H. Airway physical examination tests for detection of difficult airway management in apparently normal adult patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 May 15;5(5):CD008874. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008874.pub2.

  PMID: 29761867 BACKGROUND

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: anesthesiology specialist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 16, 2025
• First Posted: December 30, 2025
• Study Start: December 25, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 25, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 25, 2027
• Last Updated: March 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)