Airway protection by the laryngeal mask. A barrier to dye placed in the pharynx.

Methylene blue was placed in the pharynx of 64 patients undergoing anaesthesia with the laryngeal mask. No leak of dye into the larynx was detected on fibreoptic inspection of the inside of the mask in any subject. The use of the laryngeal mask as a means of protecting the airway during procedures such as minor nasal operations is therefore supported.