AB080. 161. Airway assessment using ultrasound in paediatric neck swelling/abscess

Background: Although ultrasound neck is a frequently requested pre-op investigation there were no previous studies carried out regarding airway visualization for this category of patients to set precedence for baseline airway assessment during standard ultrasound of inflammatory neck masses to check for any abnormalities including abscess and mass lesions. Studies in the past have looked into the use of ultrasound as a cost effective and non-invasive investigation in determining airway anatomy for difficult intubation with results obtained better validated when compared to CT and MRI scan. Based on this premise it will be worthwhile to assess airway of patients during ultrasound to check for any abnormalities. The aim of the current study is to assess whether the airway be assessed adequately during standard ultrasound of paediatric inflammatory neck masses?

Methods: This is a retrospective study of paediatric in-patients with emergency admission for inflammatory neck masses that had ultrasound scan of neck performed between 1st January 2010 and 30th June 2017.

Results: Twenty-six patients met the inclusion criteria with age ranging from 0 to 14 years. In 6 cases airway was visualized and patent while in the remaining 20 patients airway was not well visualized on ultrasound.

Conclusions: Paediatric airway ultrasound can accurately localize neck masses and their relationship with surrounding structures such as trachea and thyroid gland. Ultrasound neck can identify cases that require immediate operative intervention or conservative management using minimally invasive, easy and cost-effective approach. This article deals with questions arising from airway assessment including how much of the airway or pharynx can be visualized, presence of pus or mass lesion. The role of a subsequent CT scan if the airway was viewed adequately using ultrasound?

Keywords: Ultrasonography; airway; paediatric; neck mass inflammatory