Epiglottic retraction is useful in diagnosis of exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction.

Background: Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is distinguished as upper airway obstruction accompanied by inspiratory dyspnoea and stridor during highly intensive exercises. Epiglottic retraction in the diagnosis of EILO has not been sufficiently explored.

Aims/objectives: We highlight the importance of epiglottic retraction in patients with EILO by evaluation by several diagnostic methods for EILO. Consideration of epiglottic retraction may be important for accurate diagnosis of EILO.

Results: Epiglottic retraction could be observed in three patients by laryngoscopy during heavy breathing and in two patients by continuous laryngoscopy during exercise. Stridor occurred by the forward prolapse of the arytenoids, but not by epiglottic retraction. In comparison with three athletes from other sports, lung volume was significantly greater in four swimmers although it was not different related to depending on the existence of epiglottic retraction.

Conclusions and significance: Laryngoscopy during heavy breathing is suggested to be useful to detect the epiglottic retraction, which might be overlooked if only continuous laryngoscopy during exercise is used. Epiglottic retraction was not rare in Japanese swimmers' exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction in our cohort and it might be related to the greater lung volume.