Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 13, 2026

Minimally Invasive Murine Laryngoscopy for Close-Up Imaging of Laryngeal Motion During Breathing and Swallowing
Published on: December 1, 2023
Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction in Hypermobile Patients
Stacey M Menton1, DeLisa Fairweather2,3,4, Frances C Wilson2
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Objective:
To determine whether patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) have more voice, cough, swallowing, GI issues, and MC activation than patients without ILO.
Methods:
This retrospective study of 2162 patients meeting 2017 diagnostic criteria for hEDS (n = 507) or HSD (n = 1655) who were seen at the EDS Clinic in Mayo Clinic Florida from November 2019 to June 2025 compared patients who screened positive for ILO to those who screened negative. Patients were examined for self-reported symptoms of voice, cough, swallow, and GI issues as well as MC activation.
Results:
Among patients with hEDS or HSD, 23.1% and 17.1% respectively screened positive for ILO. Patients with ILO had significantly more voice, cough, and swallow issues than patients without ILO (all p ≤ 0.007). Both diagnoses had more gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (hEDS: 55.6% vs. 40.9%, p = 0.004; HSD: 55.8% vs. 42.2%, p < 0.0001). Additionally, both hEDS and HSD patients with ILO self-reported 18 allergy-related symptoms more often than those without ILO and had higher MC scores indicating widespread MC activation (all p < 0.0001). Cough, dysphagia, and elevated MC score were statistically significant predictors of ILO in both hEDS and HSD within a logistic regression analysis.
Conclusions:
Chronic cough, dysphagia, and elevated MC symptom burden were the strongest independent predictors of ILO across both hEDS and HSD, underscoring the need for routine multidisciplinary laryngeal assessment in this population.
Related Concept Videos
Larynx
Anatomy of the Larynx
The larynx consists of various components, including cartilage, muscles, and vocal cords. Its structure includes three large unpaired cartilages—the thyroid, cricoid, and epiglottis—and three smaller paired cartilages—the arytenoids, corniculates, and...
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation V: Advanced Airway Management Techniques
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation II: ACLS Airway Management
Pyloric Obstruction
Trachea
Anatomical Features:
Location: About half of the trachea is situated in the neck, anterior to the esophagus, and extends from the larynx (at the level of the...
Suctioning the Oropharyngeal Airway
After assembling the equipment, the nurse should practice hand hygiene and don appropriate PPE according to infection control guidelines to avoid the...

