Uvula missing: can posterior pharyngeal wall be the surrogate in modified mallampati grading? | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Anaesthesia | ||
| Volume 41, Issue 1, 2025, Pages 1-2 PDF (323.89 K) | ||
| Document Type: Letter to the editor | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/egja.2025.413288.1188 | ||
| Author | ||
| Tanmay Tiwari* | ||
| Department of Anaesthesia, King George’s Medical University, Chowk Lucknow, India. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Uvula is a small tear-shaped musculo-glandular connective tissue hanging from the posterior aspect of the soft palate. Absence of uvula may be encountered in clinical practice, which may lead to difficulty in assessing the modified mallampati grading for airway management. Absent uvula is seen with congenital anomalies like Apert syndrome, cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome, anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia and hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome and can also be seen secondary to uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty surgery for sleep apnea and scarring post radiation. Visibility of the uvula forms a key component in deciding the modified mallampati grade and hence may be difficult to interpret in such patients during perioperative setting. We suggest that the visibility of the posterior pharyngeal wall may serve as a reliable anatomical substitute for Modified Mallampati grading and thereby ensuring that the assessment remains clinically useful, non-ambiguous and standardized. Visible post pharyngeal wall may be a better determinant of Modified Mallampati in cases of missing uvula. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Airway management; Anatomy; Uvula | ||
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