Valsalva manoeuvre

English

A man performing a Valsalva manoeuvre during an examination

Alternative forms

• Valsalva maneuver

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.

Translations

self-administered medical procedure of attempting to blow against a closed airway

• German: Valsalva-Versuch m, Valsalva-Manöver n
• Italian: manovra di Valsalva f

Further reading

• Valsalva maneuver on Wikipedia.Wikipedia