Summary
ROLE OF MODIFIED MALLAMPATI CLASSIFICATION
IN PREDICTING DIFFICULT LARYNGOSCOPY
FOR ENDOTRACHEAL ANESTHESIA IN ADULTS
Difficult airway control can lead to hypoxia, brain damage, and even death if not treated promptly.
The modified Mallampati classification is commonly used to predict
difficult laryngoscopy or
intubation. A single-blind, prospective, descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the role of this
classification in predicting difficult laryngoscopy (DL) in adults with indications
for surgery under
endotracheal anesthesia. Lehane-Cormack Grades 3–4 is considered a difficult DL. Results: The
rate of DL was 8.2% (46/558). Mallampati categories I, II, III and IV had respective ratios of 47.6%;
37.5%; 13.8%; and 1.1%. Applying Mallampati classes III-IV to predict DL with sensitivity, specificity,
positive predictive value, and
negative predictive value were, 78.3%, 90.8%, 43.4%, and 97.9%
respectively. Conclusion: The modified Mallampati classification correctly predicted 78.3% of the DL
cases, and only 43.4% of the difficultly predicted cases were accurate.
Keywords: Modified Mallampati classification, difficult laryngoscopy, prediction/predicting,
endotracheal anesthesia.
