A simple and reliable predictor for an adequate laryngeal view with rigid endoscopic laryngoscopy

Objectives It is sometimes impossible to obtain an adequate laryngeal view during rigid endoscopic laryngoscopy. This may be due to a high tongue base. Our study seeks to determine a correlation between tongue base level and the adequacy of laryngeal view obtained with a 70-degree rigid endoscope. Study design and setting Over a period of 4 months, patients from a voice clinic were gathered and categorized into class I to III according to Mallampati et al (1985). Rigid laryngo-videostroboscopy was conducted to assess the larynx and the adequacy of the view was recorded. Results 74 patients were recruited. The number of adequate views were: class I = 18/20 (90%); class II = 20/33 (60.6%); class III = 7/21 (33.3%). χ 2 analysis demonstrated significance trend in all 3 classes. Conclusion The level of the tongue base correlated well with the adequacy of laryngeal view obtained from a 70-degree rigid endoscope. This can be used to predict the success of obtaining adequate views during rigid laryngoscopy.