Ultrasound-guided identification of the cricothyroid membrane in a patient with a difficult airway: a case report
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Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Point-of-Care Ultrasound: A Review of Ultrasound Parameters for Predicting Difficult Airways
Published on: April 7, 2023
Hiromu Okano1, Kohji Uzawa2, Kunitaro Watanabe1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Mailing address: 6-20-2 Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, 181-8611, Japan.
Background:
Surgical cricothyroidotomy is considered to be the last resort for management of the difficult airway. A major point for a successful surgical cricothyroidotomy is to identify the location of the cricothyroid membrane.
Case Presentation:
We encountered a patient with progressive respiratory distress who was anticipated to have a difficult airway due to a large neck abscess. We prepared for both awake intubation and surgical cricothyroidotomy. The cricothyroid membrane could not be identified by palpation, but was readily identified using ultrasound.
Conclusion:
Ultrasound-guided identification of the cricothyroid membrane may be useful in a patient with a difficult airway due to neck swelling.
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