title: Airway protection during breath-holding.
abstract: Little is known about laryngeal function during breath-holding. The completeness of laryngeal closure during breath-holding is clinically relevant during the supraglottic swallow. To investigate this phenomenon, vocal cord position was studied prospectively in 10 adults during breath-holding using nasolaryngoscopy with video recording. The position of the vocal cords was not consistent during breath-holding. Some subjects closed the glottis, while others had variable amounts of glottic opening. Straining and vocalizing at the onset of breath-holding produced both glottic and supraglottic closure, increasing the number of levels of laryngeal closure during breath-holding. Nasolaryngoscopy can be used clinically to document the airway protection, the effects of various protective maneuvers, and any resulting aspiration during breath-holding and during the supraglottic swallow.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mendelsohn
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007828:Laryngoscopy; D007830:Larynx / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012119:Respiration / Q000502:physiology*; D014741:Video Recording