ArticleBMC anesthesiology2022
Predictive values of the modified Mallampati test, upper lip bite test, thyromental distance and ratio of height to thyromental distance to predict difficult laryngoscopy in pediatric elective surgical patients 5-12 years old at selected Addis Ababa governmental hospitals, Ethiopia: a multicenter cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC anesthesiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Ultrasonographic Airway Measurements and Difficult Laryngoscopy in Children Undergoing Adenotonsillectomy: A Prospective Observational Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- [Airway management in children : What should be known in pediatric anesthesia].Die Anaesthesiologie · 2025Article
- Incidence of oral complications during endotracheal intubation in general anesthesia among hospitalized children.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Observation of the validity of the upper lip bite test in predicting difficult intubation.Scientific reports · 2023Observational
- An Evaluation of the Efficacy of Predictive Tests and Anthropometric Measurements in Determining Difficult Intubation in Children.Journal of clinical practice and research · 2023Article
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3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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Abstract
backgroundMaintaining patent airways is vital in pediatric anesthetic management. Failure to manage and anticipate difficult laryngoscopy (DL) preoperatively is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Data on the predictive values of screening parameters in predicting DL are limited in children. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the predictive value of the modified Mallampati test (MMT), upper lip bite test (ULBT), thyromental distance (TMD), and ratio of height to thyromental distance (RHTMD) in predicting DL in children aged 5-12 years at selected Addis Ababa governmental hospitals in Ethiopia.
methodsA multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted on 141 elective pediatric surgical patients aged 5 to 12 years selected using a systematic random sampling technique at three governmental hospitals from December 1, 2021, to April 30, 2022. The collected data were entered and analysed by SPSS version 26. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare categorical variables. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to compare the accuracy of MMT, ULBT, TMD, and RHTMD against DL. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
resultsThe magnitude of DL was 15.6%. MMT has the highest sensitivity (86.4%), specificity (91.6%), and negative predictive value (NPV) (97.3%) compared to other tests. The ULBT also has a high sensitivity (72.7%) and specificity (84%) with comparable diagnostic accuracy (90.8%) with the MMT (P < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), NPV, and accuracy of TMD were 63.6%, 95.8%, 73.7%, 93.4%, and 82.2%, respectively. The RHTMD has the lowest specificity (63.6%), PPV (22.5%), NPV (91.4%), and accuracy (56.7%) in predicting DL.
conclusionThe MMT and ULBT are good screening tests, followed by the TMD in predicting DL, while the RHTMD was the least accurate predictor. Because no single test has 100% predictive value, a combination of screening tests is advised in pediatrics for predicting DL.
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