Valsalva manoeuvre

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English

A man performing a Valsalva manoeuvre during an examination

Alternative forms

Etymology

Named after Italian anatomist Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666–1723), whose research focused on the ears.

Noun

Valsalva manoeuvre (plural Valsalva manoeuvres)

  1. (medicine) A self-administered procedure comprising an attempted exhalation against a closed airway, usually performed by closing one's mouth and pinching one's nose shut while attempting, with moderate force, to expel air.
    Synonym: autoinsufflation
    Variations of the Valsalva manoeuvre can be used during medical examination.
    • 1983, Roger Bannister, Autonomic Failure, Oxford University Press, page 426:
      We observed forearm vasodilatation following the Valsalva manoeuvre in 11 out of 19 normal subjects; the remainder showed a persistent forearm vasoconstriction (Bennett et al. 1979b).
    • 2018, Alex Blasdel, “Bowel movement: the push to change the way you poo”, in The Guardian:
      When that time comes, a person may perform the Valsalva manoeuvre, increasing the pressure inside the abdomen by exhaling against a closed airway as if popping one’s ears on a flight.
    • 2019, David Chambers, Christopher Huang, Gareth Matthews, Basic Physiology for Anaesthetists, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, page 175:
      The Valsalva manoeuvre is performed by forced expiration against a closed glottis. It is attributed to Antonio Valsalva (1666–1723), who described it as a test of Eustachian tube patency and as a method of expelling pus from the middle ear.

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