Airway Ultrasound and PeDiAC Score in Pediatric Patients

Evaluation of the Relationship Between Ultrasonographic Airway Measurements and the PeDiAC Score in Pediatric Patients: A Prospective Observational Study

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the relationship between preoperative ultrasonographic airway measurements and the Pediatric Difficult Airway Classification (PeDiAC) score in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia. The study will assess whether ultrasound-derived airway parameters are associated with difficult airway characteristics and PeDiAC scores.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Difficult Intubation; Difficult Airway; Airway Assessment

Detailed Description

Difficult airway management in pediatric patients remains a significant challenge for anesthesiologists and is associated with increased perioperative morbidity. Accurate preoperative identification of children at risk for difficult airway management is essential for improving patient safety and optimizing airway strategies.

Airway ultrasonography has emerged as a noninvasive and bedside imaging modality that allows detailed assessment of upper airway anatomy. Several ultrasonographic airway parameters have been investigated as potential predictors of difficult airway management in children. However, the predictive value of these measurements remains uncertain, and their relationship with standardized pediatric difficult airway assessment tools has not been fully established.

The Pediatric Difficult Airway Classification (PeDiAC) score is a recently developed tool designed to standardize the assessment of difficult airway characteristics in pediatric patients. Evaluating the association between ultrasonographic airway measurements and the PeDiAC score may improve preoperative airway assessment and facilitate the identification of children at increased risk of difficult airway management.

This prospective observational study aims to investigate the relationship between preoperative ultrasonographic airway measurements and the PeDiAC score in pediatric patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia. Preoperative airway ultrasound measurements will be obtained and compared with PeDiAC scores recorded during airway management.

The primary objective is to evaluate the correlation between ultrasonographic airway measurements and the PeDiAC score. Secondary objectives include assessing the predictive value of ultrasonographic measurements for difficult airway management and identifying airway parameters associated with increased airway difficulty in pediatric patients.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 70

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Hatice Selçuk Kuşderci; Phone Number: 505 215 98 96; Email: drkusderci@hotmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Betül Ç Çiftçi Kurt; Phone Number: 5301785995; Email: betulciftcikurt@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of pediatric patients aged 1-18 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III who are scheduled to undergo elective surgical procedures requiring endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia at a tertiary care hospital. Eligible patients whose parents or legal guardians provide written informed consent and who meet all inclusion criteria will be consecutively enrolled during the study period.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children aged 1-18 years.
• Patients scheduled for elective surgery.
• Patients undergoing endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia.
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known craniofacial anomalies.
• Congenital airway malformations.
• Restricted cervical mobility.
• Emergency surgical procedures.
• Patients with a tracheostomy.
• Inability to obtain parental or legal guardian consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Correlation Between Ultrasonographic Airway Measurements and the PeDiAC Score	Assessment of the correlation between preoperative ultrasonographic airway measurements and the Pediatric Difficult Airway Classification (PeDiAC) score.	During airway assessment and endotracheal intubation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Predictive Value of Ultrasonographic Airway Measurements for Difficult Videolaryngoscopy	Evaluation of the predictive ability of preoperative ultrasonographic airway measurements for difficult videolaryngoscopy in pediatric patients.	During videolaryngoscopy
Relationship Between the PeDiAC Score and Cormack-Lehane Grade	Assessment of the association between the PeDiAC score and the Cormack-Lehane grade obtained during videolaryngoscopy.	During videolaryngoscopy
Relationship Between Intubation Time and Ultrasonographic Airway Measurements	Assessment of the association between intubation time and preoperative ultrasonographic airway measurements.	During endotracheal intubation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Samsun University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 24, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 2, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: GOKAEK 2026/10/6

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No