Background: Cricoid pressure during intubation has been used for decades as a way to potentially occlude the esophagus to avoid aspiration of gastric contents. However, recent evidence has questioned the effectiveness of this maneuver.
Objective: This study uses a noninvasive modality, ultrasonography, to determine the anatomic position of the cricoid cartilage and the esophagus and examines the effectiveness of cricoid pressure on esophageal compression.