Laryngoscopy

: Examination of the larynx with a mirror (indirect laryngoscopy) or with a laryngoscope (direct laryngoscopy). The laryngoscope is a flexible, lighted tube used to look at the inside of the larynx (the voice box). The laryngoscope is inserted through the mouth into the upper airway. History: The laryngoscope was invented in 1830 by Benjamin Guy Babington, a British physician who also first described the disease now called hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and who made considerable contributions to epidemiology. (Babington in 1837 was appointed as physician to Guy's Hospital in London in preference to Thomas Hodgkin whose name is today associated with Hodgkin disease). Etymology: The word "laryngoscope" was compounded from "laryngo-" + the Greek "skopeo," to inspect = to inspect the larynx. The word "larynx" is a direct borrowing from the Greek for the upper part of the airway.

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Inspection of the larynx by means of the laryngoscope.

- direct l. inspection of the larynx by means of either a hollow instrument or a fiberoptic cable.

- indirect l. inspection of the larynx by means of a reflected image on a mirror.

- suspension l. support of the laryngoscope by leverage from a supportive structure to provide maximum exposure of the pharyngeal cavity and larynx.

- transnasal fiberoptic l. l. performed with a fiberoptic endoscope introduced through the nose.

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lar·yn·gos·co·py .lar-ən-'gäs-kə-pē n, pl -pies examination of the interior of the larynx (as with a laryngoscope)

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n.

examination of the larynx. This may be done indirectly using a small mirror or directly using a laryngoscope.

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lar·yn·gos·co·py (lar″ing-gosґkə-pe) [laryngo- + -scopy] examination of the interior of the larynx, especially that performed with the laryngoscope (direct laryngoscopy). laryngoscopic adj