laryngeal
Meaning of laryngeal: Laryngeal structures and conditions involve the larynx, the part of the throat responsible for voice production and protecting the airway during swallowing.
Definition of laryngeal
Laryngeal means relating to the larynx, the structure in the throat that contains the vocal folds and sits at the top of the windpipe. The larynx serves two main roles, producing the voice as air passes across the vocal folds and helping protect the airway by closing during swallowing so that food and liquid pass into the esophagus rather than the lungs.
Laryngeal conditions include infections such as laryngitis, structural changes such as nodules or polyps on the vocal folds, and, less commonly, tumors of the larynx itself. Symptoms of a laryngeal problem often include a change in voice quality, hoarseness, or, when the airway is affected, difficulty breathing or a noisy quality to breathing.
Evaluating laryngeal structures typically involves direct visualization of the vocal folds, since many laryngeal conditions cannot be reliably assessed by examination of the throat alone.
How laryngeal is built
- laryng/o Combining form · Greek larynx, voice box
- -ac, -al, -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic Suffix · Greek and Latin pertaining to, relating to
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
Used in a sentence
Laryngeal examination revealed mild swelling of the vocal folds consistent with the patient's recent laryngitis.
Good to know
A persistent voice change can reflect a laryngeal problem ranging from simple inflammation to a structural or, less often, a malignant cause, which is why prolonged hoarseness is generally evaluated by direct visualization of the larynx.
Word origin
Where “laryngeal” comes from
From Greek larynx, meaning "the upper windpipe."