Tag Archives: cormack-lehane

Cormack-Lehane Grading Examples

Here are some real-life examples of Cormack-Lehane classification of laryngoscopic view taken with a video laryngoscope.  Although initially described for direct laryngoscopy in obstetric patients, it is a useful descriptive system in many settings, but is frequently misreported and/or misunderstood.  We will continue to expand the set as we collect good images.

Original and revised (Yentis & Lee, 1998) CL grading:

Click to access the paper in Anaesthesiology, 1998

Colour-coded to make it a little easier to read:

…and here from the CoPilot VL material, a more anatomically-correct sketch which shows the distinction between 2a and 2b clearly:

Cormack–Lehane 1:Cormack-Lehane 1

Cormack-Lehane 2a:Cormack-Lehane 2a

Cormack-Lehane 2b:2014.01.16_08.04.59 Cormack-Lehane 2b (nearly 3)

Cormack-Lehane 3:2014.02.03_10.21.59 Cormack-Lehane 3a

Cormack-Lehane 4:2013.09.20_11.19.39_tongue CL4

See the original article by RS Cormack and J Lehane in Anaesthesia, 1994;(39):1105-1111.

Various modifications to this scheme have been proposed for use with video laryngoscopy (VL), including suggestions by Cook and Fremantle:

cry_redusaabnj

freemantly-vl-grading