title: Fibreoptic assessment of laryngeal aperture in patients with difficult laryngoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the relationship between the area of the laryngeal aperture (LA) seen fibreoptically during laryngoscopy and the difficulty of tracheal intubation in patients with difficult laryngoscopy
  
  
  METHODS
  In 587 adult patients after induction of general anesthesia and muscle relaxation, the best laryngoscopic view of the larynx using a Macintosh 3 blade was classified according to Cormack. When the LA could not be seen, with laryngoscope blade in place, the LA view provided by a fibreoptic bronchoscope (FOB)-camera passed nasally was photographed. Then, the laryngoscopist attempted to intubate the trachea using the Macintosh blade. Tracheal intubation requiring more than three attempts was defined as difficult. After the third attempt, the trachea was intubated orally aided by FOB. The LA view after jaw thrust during FOB-aided intubation was photographed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Laryngoscopy was difficult in 17 of 587 patients. In four, intubation was difficult. In the remaining 13 patients the trachea was easy to intubate. The LA area obtained by the FOB in the difficult group (median, 0.19; intra-quartile range, 0.14 to 0.39 cm2) was smaller than that in the easy group (2.43; 1.84 to 2.93 cm2)(P = 0.003). In contrast, the LA area provided by jaw thrust during the FOB-aided intubation in the difficult group (2.28; 1.99 to 2.73 cm2) was similar to that during laryngoscopy in the easy group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inability of the laryngoscope to provide an adequate LA view is one cause of difficult intubation with the Macintosh laryngoscope in patients with difficult laryngoscopy.
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Takenaka
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Aoyama
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Kadoya
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Sata
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Shigematsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D007828:Laryngoscopy; D007830:Larynx / Q000033:anatomy & histology*