Evaluation of Thyromental Height for Predicting Difficult Airway

Introduction: A difficult airway is a common challenge during general anesthesia.Various predictors of difficult intubation are available, but their reliability varies.This study aimed to evaluate the Thyromental Height Test (TMHT) for predictinga difficult airway and compare it to the Modified Mallampati Test (MMT). Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 139 patients aged16šC80 years undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia (ASA I/II).A thyromental height <50 mm and MMT scores of III/IV were classified as difficultairways. Difficult intubation was defined using Cormack-Lehane grades III/IV.Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated for both tests. Results: Difficult intubation occurred in 30.9% of patients. TMHT showed asensitivity of 95.34%, specificity of 92.70%, and an AUC of 0.946, outperformingMMT (sensitivity 48.83%, specificity 92.70%). TMHT also demonstrated higherpositive (85.41%) and negative (97.80%) predictive values. Conclusion: The Thyromental Height Test is a reliable predictor of difficultairways, offering superior accuracy compared to the Modified Mallampati Test.