Ultrasonography – A New Method for Airway Assessment: A Review of the Literature
B. Dimitrova
Profil Orcid, , , , et 
Publié en ligne: 09 sept. 2025
Pages: 89 - 94
Reçu: 17 déc. 2024
Accepté: 20 janv. 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/amb-2025-00066
Mots clés
© 2025 B. Dimitrova et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Introduction
Endotracheal intubation is an important part of the anesthetic practice; however, sometimes, it can be difficult and/or impossible. Complications of difficult airway management include hypoxia, hypoxic brain injury, cardiovascular instability, cardiac arrhythmias and death. The objective of the current review is to determine the feasibility and advantages of ultrasonography as a method for airway assessment in patients undergoing laryngeal surgery.
Materials and Methods
The literature review is conducted using the PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar scientific databases to identify relevant studies and clinical guidelines related to difficult airway management and methods of assessment. The literature review revealed 16,300 articles during the period from 1 January 2014 to 2024, of which only 54 most closely represented the specific issues.
Results and Discussion
There are numerous bedside tests for identifying and evaluating difficult airways, but their sensitivity remains unclear. Ultrasonography is a non-invasive, safe, painless, and easy-to-perform method. It provides dynamic real-time images, as well as detailed anatomical information of the pathological changes of the larynx.
Conclusion
According to various studies, ultrasonography has been found to be an effective method for the identification and evaluation of difficult airways in patients undergoing elective surgery.