ultrasound-based prediction of mask ventilation and laryngoscopy difficulty in patients undergoing general anesthesia using airway assessment criteria

Background: reflex given the critical role of anatomical airway structures in tracheal intubation, this study aimed to predict the difficulty of mask ventilation and laryngoscopy using ultrasound-based airway evaluation criteria.methods: this cross-sectional study involved 205 patients undergoing tracheal intubation. during intubation evaluation based on the cormack-lehane classification, neck ultrasound was performed. the diagnostic value of neck sonographic parameters was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (roc) analysis.results: according to the cormack-lehane classification, intubation was easy in 170 patients (82.9%) and difficult in 35 patients (17.1%). ultrasound findings revealed statistically significant differences in all parameters, including neck circumference, between the easy and difficult intubation groups. all measured values were higher in the difficult intubation group.conclusion: the findings suggest that ultrasound is a useful, practical tool for predicting difficult intubation. however, due to study limitations such as the small sample size, further research is recommended.