Valsalva manoeuvre: A confusing dichotomatic misnomer.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to try to understand the origin of the definition of the Valsalva manoeuvre by going back to original documents and finding out at which moment, the eponym was given to these two different manoeuvres, and their congruence to reality.


METHODS
Historical study of selected textbooks and articles about the Valsalva manoeuvre.


RESULTS
Valsalva effectively described the manoeuvre against closed nostrils and mouth at the beginning of the 18th century, but he was not the first. On the contrary, Valsalva did not describe the manoeuvre against a closed glottis. This was a mid-20th century creation.


CONCLUSIONS
Two questions remain: 1. What should be done with the eponymous appellation of the manoeuvre with closed mouth and nostrils? Certainly to keep it, even if Valsalva was not the first to clearly describe it. 2. What to do with the eponymous appellation of the manoeuvre with a closed glottis? It would be ideal to change it, as it is misnamed, confusing, and only recently formulated.
Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 801 Welch Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5739, United States. Electronic address: AMudry@ohns.stanford.edu.
Albert
A
Mudry
D004850:Eponyms; D005260:Female; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014636:Valsalva Maneuver
Definition; Eponym; History; Manoeuvre; Valsalva