Valsalva is a medical term used to describe the action or result of forcing breath out against a closed airway, often to equalize pressure or to clear the ears. In anatomy and physiology, it also refers to the Valsalva maneuver, a controlled exhalation technique. The word, borrowed from the Italian physician Antonio Valsalva, is used in clinical discussions, audiology, and cardiology to describe pressure-related phenomena.
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