Reviews Valsalva's Maneuver

Valsalva's maneuver, a prolonged forced expiration against a closed glottis, is used as a diagnostic application for the evaluation and differentiation of patients with cardiac murmurs, the evaluation of left ventricular functions and autonomic neuropathies. Valsalva maneuver can also be used as first-line therapy for supraventricular tacyhycardia. In this review, the physiology of Valsalva maneuver, its use for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes are discussed. Other cardiac autonomic reflexes which are used in the evaluation of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy, cardiac functions and murmurs are not dealth with.