Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (775 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A thin leaf-shaped cartilage that is covered with laryngeal mucosa and situated posterior to the root of the tongue and hyoid bone. During swallowing, the epiglottis folds back over the larynx inlet thus prevents foods from entering the airway.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Epiglottic Cartilage; Cartilage, Epiglottic; Cartilages, Epiglottic; Epiglottic Cartilages.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Laryngeal Cartilages
Related concepts
- Laryngeal Mucosa
- Hyoid Bone
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 2,703 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Epiglottis” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 223 of them (8.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 1,529 records.
Reviews account for 140 records (5.2%) and meta-analyses for 4. Randomized controlled trials number 30 (1.1%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 1,529 |
| 2000-2009 | 424 |
| 2010-2019 | 527 |
| 2020 onward | 223 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 140 | 5.2% |
| Meta-analyses | 4 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 30 | 1.1% |
Method: PubMed query "Epiglottis"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Treatment laryngomalacia: experience with 22 cases] | 2005 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 13 | cc by PMID 16446937 · DOI · PMC9450547 |
| Epiglottis reshaping using CO2 laser: a minimally invasive technique and its potent applications | 2008 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 12 | cc by PMID 18655713 · DOI · PMC2525631 |
| Measurement of subglottic diameter and distance to pre-epiglottic space among Chinese adults | 2020 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 10 | cc by PMID 32706821 · DOI · PMC7380620 |
| Transitional feeding in developing pigs: Effects of food texture modification on liquid swallowing behavior and epiglottic movements | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 41999032 · DOI · PMC13090537 |
[Treatment laryngomalacia: experience with 22 cases] [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- UnlabelledLaryngomalacia is the most frequent cause of stridor in childhood, and in most of the cases, spontaneous resolution occurs by the age of 2 years.
- Closing excerpt
- Supraglottoplasty is effective with low rate of morbidity.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (220 words)
UnlabelledLaryngomalacia is the most frequent cause of stridor in childhood, and in most of the cases, spontaneous resolution occurs by the age of 2 years. Approximately 10% of the cases (severe laryngomalacia) require surgery. This condition is of unknown etiology and its diagnosis is made by fiberoptic laryngoscopy, which shows shortening of the aryepiglottic folds, and/or redundant arytenoid mucosa, and/or anterior-posterior epiglottic prolapse.AimOur objective was to verify the main clinical and anatomical affections and to highlight the clinical parameters for clinical follow-up and surgical indication in patients with laryngomalacia.Study designTransversal cohort study.Material and methodTwenty-two children diagnosed with laryngomalacia in the Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology of UNIFESP-EPM, from January 2001 to December 2003, whose clinical and surgical follow-up were performed by the same examiner, were enrolled in this study.ResultsOut of twenty-two evaluated children, 2 (9.1%) presented with severe laryngomalacia and pectus excavatum (funnel chest). At polysomnography, no child presented any significant respiratory event during sleeping. Those two children with severe laryngomalacia were submitted to supraglottoplasty with resection of the aryepiglottic folds.ConclusionWe concluded that stridor and shortening of the aryepiglottic folds are preponderant in children with laryngomalacia. The polysomnographic exam did not prove to be a good parameter for clinical follow-up, neither for surgical indication. The most important parameters were pectus excavatum and failure to thrive. Supraglottoplasty is effective with low rate of morbidity.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 16446937 · DOI · PMC9450547
Epiglottis reshaping using CO2 laser: a minimally invasive technique and its potent applications [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Laryngomalacia (LRM), is the most common laryngeal abnormality of the newborn, caused by a long curled epiglottis, which prolapses posteriorly.
- Closing excerpt
- This technique could be used in selected cases of LRM and OSAS due to epiglottis prolapse as an alternative, less morbid approach.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (98 words)
Laryngomalacia (LRM), is the most common laryngeal abnormality of the newborn, caused by a long curled epiglottis, which prolapses posteriorly. Epiglottis prolapse during inspiration (acquired laryngomalacia) is an unusual cause of airway obstruction and a rare cause of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). We present a minimally invasive technique where epiglottis on cadaveric larynx specimens was treated with CO2 laser. The cartilage reshaping effect induced by laser irradiation was capable of exposing the glottis opening widely. This technique could be used in selected cases of LRM and OSAS due to epiglottis prolapse as an alternative, less morbid approach.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 18655713 · DOI · PMC2525631
Measurement of subglottic diameter and distance to pre-epiglottic space among Chinese adults [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Proper endotracheal tube (ETT) size selection and identification of potentially difficult airways are important to reduce laryngeal injury during intubation.
- Closing excerpt
- As compared with other ethnicity, a smaller size of subglottic diameter and a shorter DSE were noted among Chinese participants, and we suggest that a relatively smaller size of endotracheal tube selection should be considered in tracheal intubations.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (260 words)
Proper endotracheal tube (ETT) size selection and identification of potentially difficult airways are important to reduce laryngeal injury during intubation. However, controversies exist concerning transverse subglottic diameter-the narrowest part of the airway-and the distance to pre-epiglottic space. Because few studies have reported the distance from skin to the midpoint of the epiglottis (DSE) among normal individuals, whether the DSE varies between individuals and by ethnicity remains uncertain. The present study aims to investigate the sonographic subglottic diameter and DSE among healthy Chinese adults. Healthy volunteers were recruited at National Taiwan University Hospital between October and November 2019. Exclusion criteria included pre-existing airway or respiratory diseases, neck tumors, and a history of neck operation. Age, sex, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), sonographic DSE, and transverse subglottic diameter were recorded. A total of 124 participants were enrolled. The average age was 32.5 ± 10.4 years and 63 participants (51%) were males. The subglottic diameter was positively associated with sex (males, 14.40 mm; females, 11.10 mm, p < 0.001) and BMI (underweight, 12.13 mm; normal weight, 12.47 mm; overweight, 13.80 mm; obese, 13.67 mm, p = 0.007). Moreover, the DSE was shorter in males (male, 16.18 mm; females, 14.54 mm, p < 0.001) and participants with increased BMI (underweight, 13.70 mm; normal weight, 15.06 mm; overweight, 16.58 mm; obese, 18.18 mm, p < 0.001). As compared with other ethnicity, a smaller size of subglottic diameter and a shorter DSE were noted among Chinese participants, and we suggest that a relatively smaller size of endotracheal tube selection should be considered in tracheal intubations.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 32706821 · DOI · PMC7380620
Transitional feeding in developing pigs: Effects of food texture modification on liquid swallowing behavior and epiglottic movements [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Food texture modifications facilitate the transition from suckling to chewing.
- Closing excerpt
- Our results expand our understanding of liquid swallowing behavior in mammals and showcase how food-texture modification during a critical period of development can impact the maturation of swallow physiology.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (197 words)
Food texture modifications facilitate the transition from suckling to chewing. We examined drinking and liquid swallowing in 2 groups of pigs: one group directly transitioned from liquids to solids (DT) and the other transitioned progressively (PT) from liquids to soft foods then to solids. Our study reports the typical outcome of maturation of oropharyngeal physiology in both groups with similarities in the behavioral aspects of liquid swallowing (swallows occur during ingestion cycles, similar cycle frequency). However, compared to DT pigs, PT pigs used fewer gape cycles and less time between swallows and initiated the swallow later in the gape cycle, which are characteristics of swallow in younger pigs. Swallows in PT pigs were also typically faster with shorter epiglottal descent duration to reach laryngeal vestibule closure (LVC) quicker, thus increasing LVC duration significantly relative to swallow duration. Furthermore, throughout the study, epiglottal descent duration decreased in PT pigs but increased in DT pigs, emphasizing how each transition strategy altered the maturation of a key component of the swallow. Our results expand our understanding of liquid swallowing behavior in mammals and showcase how food-texture modification during a critical period of development can impact the maturation of swallow physiology.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41999032 · DOI · PMC13090537
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Epiglottis collapse in adult obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review [5]
- Research article Vallecular cysts in newborns and young infants [6]
- Research article Treatment outcomes of supraglottoplasty for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: A meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Magnetic resonance imaging procedures to study the concurrent anatomic development of vocal tract structures: preliminary results [8]
- Research article Laryngomalacia [9]
- Research article Epiglottic tuberculosis: differential diagnosis and treatment. Case report and review of the literature [10]
References
- Avelino MA, Liriano RY, Fujita R, Pignatari S, Weckx LL. [Treatment laryngomalacia: experience with 22 cases]. . 2005. PMID 16446937 · DOI · PMC9450547
- Bourolias C, Hajiioannou J, Hajiioannou J, Sobol E, Velegrakis G, Helidonis E. Epiglottis reshaping using CO2 laser: a minimally invasive technique and its potent applications. . 2008. PMID 18655713 · DOI · PMC2525631
- Chan WH, Sung CW, Chang HC, Ko PC, Huang EP, Lien WC, et al.. Measurement of subglottic diameter and distance to pre-epiglottic space among Chinese adults. . 2020. PMID 32706821 · DOI · PMC7380620
- Montuelle SJ, Scarborough DR, Baker HR, Williams SH. Transitional feeding in developing pigs: Effects of food texture modification on liquid swallowing behavior and epiglottic movements. . 2026. PMID 41999032 · DOI · PMC13090537
- Torre C, Camacho M, Liu SY, Huon LK, Capasso R. Epiglottis collapse in adult obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review. Laryngoscope. 2016. PMID 26371602 · DOI
- Gutiérrez JP, Berkowitz RG, Robertson CF. Vallecular cysts in newborns and young infants. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1999. PMID 10230929 · DOI
- Lee CF, Hsu WC, Lee CH, Lin MT, Kang KT. Treatment outcomes of supraglottoplasty for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: A meta-analysis. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2016. PMID 27368437 · DOI
- Vorperian HK, Kent RD, Gentry LR, Yandell BS. Magnetic resonance imaging procedures to study the concurrent anatomic development of vocal tract structures: preliminary results. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 1999. PMID 10519699 · DOI
- Bedwell J, Zalzal G. Laryngomalacia. Semin Pediatr Surg. 2016. PMID 27301595 · DOI
- Richter B, Fradis M, Köhler G, Ridder GJ. Epiglottic tuberculosis: differential diagnosis and treatment. Case report and review of the literature. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2001. PMID 11219530 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.