Incidence of Difficult Intubation in Tmj Ankylosis Patients in University Setting

Introduction: A fusion of the mandibular condyle with the base of the skull causes ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which results in a lack of joint movement. The anesthesiologist is concerned about prolonged temporomandibular joint ankylosis because of the restricted airway, which makes intubation difficult. Despite the fact that TMJ ankylosis is a well-known risk factor for difficult airway management, the strategies used are based on the anesthesiologists' skill. It's never easy intubating a patient with temporomandibular joint ankylosis. The purpose of this study was to see how common problematic intubation was in TMJ ankylosis patients.

Aim of the Study: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of difficult intubation in TMJ ankylosis patients.

Materials and Methods: Among the overall data of patients attending Saveetha Dental College, a retrospective analysis of all the cases (patients who underwent TMJ ankylosis surgery) was extracted. Excel spreadsheets were used to enter the data. SPSS software version 19 was used to analyse the data collected. The data were statistically evaluated using the Chi square test.

Results: In this study, it was discovered that the incidence of difficult intubation in TMJ ankylosis surgery was higher in the age group of 5-18 years than in the other age groups. Intubation in children is tough. The chi square test resulted in statistically significant findings (p<0.005).

Conclusion: Nasal intubation and fiberoptic intubation were the most common modes of intubation used in TMJ ankylosis surgery, according to the results of this small sample retrospective analysis. The difficulty of intubation was increased in the paediatric age group (5-18 years).