Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Comparative Study
The effect of virtual endoscopy on diagnostic accuracy and airway management strategies in patients with head and neck pathology: a prospective cohort study.
There is growing evidence to suggest a deficiency in anesthesiologists' diagnosis of airway pathology and subsequent airway management planning, and conventional instruments have not shown increases in safety. Virtual endoscopy (VE) is a tool that can detail intraluminal anatomical "fly-through" information in a format visually similar to the flexible endoscopic views familiar to anesthesiologists. We aimed to determine the effect of VE on diagnostic accuracy and airway management strategies when compared with conventional tools. ⋯ Virtual endoscopy improves the accuracy in diagnosis of airway pathology when compared with CT alone. Furthermore, it leads to more conservative and potentially safer airway management strategies in patients with head and neck pathology.