Retrospective analysis between the difficult airway and thyromental height by three-dimensional reconstruction / 中国医师进修杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze retrospectively the correlation between the difficult airway and thyromental height by three-dimensional reconstruction among the Chinese. Methods Eithty patients who had been scanned by helical CT in the head and neck were allocated into two groups according to Cormack-Lehane gradingpaients with Ⅰ-Ⅱ grade were allocated into group 1, and paients with Ⅲgrade were allocated into group 2. Reconstructed images were obtained by AW4.4 workstation and the following parameters were recorded and analyzedthe length from the oral to the under jaw(a), the length from the under jaw to the skin of the neck (b), the vertical distance from the under jaw to the neck was equal to thyromental height(c), the vertical distance from the oral to the cervical vertebra(d), the angle with the under jaw as the vertices and with two lines (a and b) for edge (angle ofα). Results The c value in two groups had no significant difference(3.97 ± 0.82) cm vs. (3.64 ± 0.62) cm, P>0.05. The d value in group 2 was significantly higher than that in group 1(8.69 ± 0.48) cm vs. (8.25 ± 0.80) cm, P<0.05. The c/d value and c/a value in group 2 were significantly lower than those in group 1 0.42 ± 0.07 vs. 0.48 ± 0.12, 0.80 ± 0.18 vs. 0.95 ± 0.25, P<0.05. Conclusions Thyromental height by three-dimensional reconstruction has no significant differences in evaluating the difficult airway among the Chinese. The ratio of the vertical distance from the under jaw to the neck and the vertical distance from the oral to the cervical vertebra, and the ratio of the vertical distance from the under jaw to the neck and the length from the oral to the under jaw shows negative correlation with difficult airway.