What Is Laryngoscopy?

Written by Stacey Jones, MS, BA
Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on August 10, 2025
7 min read

Doctors sometimes use a small device to look into your throat and larynx (voice box). They do it in a procedure called laryngoscopy.

They may do this to figure out why you have a cough or sore throat, find and remove something that's stuck in there, or take samples of your tissue to look at later.

photo of patient being intubated

Your larynx helps you talk, breathe, and swallow. It's at the back of your throat and the top of your windpipe, or trachea. It holds your vocal cords, which vibrate to make sounds as you speak.

When doctors need to look into your larynx and other nearby parts of your throat or put a tube into your windpipe to help you breathe, they use a small hand tool called a laryngoscope. 

"We can put a small camera through the nose or the mouth to look at the pharynx (throat) for any lesions or mass and at the vocal cords," says Sisi Tian, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery at UNLV Health and practicing surgeon at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada.

Your doctor may also be looking for evidence of swelling. "Patients sometimes have — for whatever reason — back-of-the-tongue swelling. We can look at their airway to make sure there's no obstruction," Tian says. "We can also look at vocal cord mobility because if you have vocal cord paralysis, that can lead to voice changes and also trouble breathing."

Your doctor may do it to find out why you have a sore throat that won't go away or diagnose an ongoing problem such as coughing, hoarseness, or bad breath. They also might do one when:

  • You have something stuck in your throat
  • You have trouble breathing or swallowing
  • You have an earache that won't go away
  • They need to look at something that could be a sign of a more serious health problem such as cancer
  • They need to remove a growth

A laryngoscopy is usually done by an ear, nose, and throat doctor (otolaryngologist) or a head and neck surgeon. Sometimes, they are done by a speech-language pathologist, a medical professional specializing in language, speech, and swallowing problems. The procedure can be done in a doctor's office or in a hospital setting.

There are three kinds of laryngoscopy.

Indirect laryngoscopy. An examination of your larynx using a light and mirror to look down your throat. It's usually done in a doctor's office.

Direct flexible laryngoscopy. Typically used for diagnosis, this procedure uses a thin, flexible telescope tool, sometimes with a camera at the end. It can also be used to remove tissue for examination (biopsy) or to remove a growth.

Direct rigid laryngoscopy. A hospital-based procedure that uses a rigid scope to remove a growth or something in your throat or to do a biopsy.

Your doctor might want to take X-rays or do other imaging tests before a laryngoscopy. Surgical, direct rigid laryngoscopies need general anesthesia. Your provider will talk to you about getting ready for your procedure and may tell you to:

  • Not eat or drink the night before
  • Stop certain medications for a while
  • Resist smoking, if you can
  • Have a friend or family member waiting to carry you home

There's usually nothing special to do if you're having an indirect or direct flexible laryngoscopy in your doctor's office.

There are many ways your doctor may do this procedure:

Indirect laryngoscopy 

Your doctor uses a small mirror and a light to look into your throat. The mirror is on a long handle, such as the kind a dentist often uses, and it's placed against the roof of your mouth. Your doctor might spray something into your throat to make it numb to try to keep you from gagging.

During the 5- to 10-minute exam, the doctor holds the tip of your tongue with gauze. You may be asked to make sounds to see how your vocal cords are working.

Flexible direct laryngoscopy

Many doctors now do this kind of laryngoscopy by gently placing a cable with a small telescope at the end into your nose and down into your throat. Tian tells her patients that the procedure is normally short. "It can usually be done within one minute," she says. You'll get a numbing medication for your nose and a decongestant to open your nasal passages so that it's easier for the scope to go in. You might feel as if you need to cough, but the sensation usually goes away. Gagging is a common reaction, too.

Direct rigid laryngoscopy

Under general anesthesia, your doctor uses a laryngoscope to push down your tongue and lift up the epiglottis, the flap of cartilage that covers your windpipe. It opens when you're breathing and closes when you swallow.

Your doctor might do this to remove small growths or samples of tissue for testing. They can also use this procedure to insert a tube into your windpipe to help you breathe during an emergency or in surgery.

Direct rigid laryngoscopy can take up to 45 minutes. With general anesthesia, you will not be awake while it's happening.

An indirect laryngoscopy usually has few side effects. Nose pain or bleeding is a rare side effect of flexible direct laryngoscopy. The numbness and bitter aftertaste of the topical anesthetic usually go away about 30-45 minutes after the procedures, Tian says.

While direct rigid laryngoscopy is usually a safe procedure, there are surgical risks associated with it, she says, depending on the type of disease your doctor is testing for. "They may have tongue swelling because we put a lot of pressure on the tongue," Tian says. "We do protect the teeth, but it can cause chipped teeth, just like when patients are intubated. So, it's that kind of inherent risk." 

Other problems may include: 

  • Pain or swelling in the mouth or throat
  • Sore tongue
  • Bleeding
  • Hoarseness
  • Tiredness and muscle aches
  • Gagging or vomiting
  • Infection
  • Taste changes

If you were given anesthesia, you might feel nauseous or sleepy afterward. You might have a dry mouth or a sore throat. These are common reactions to the anesthesia.

You can suck on ice or gargle with salt water to ease a sore throat. Over-the-counter pain relievers or throat lozenges can help, too.

Your doctor may suggest that you limit talking for up to two weeks after a direct laryngoscopy. When you do speak, use a normal voice, and keep it brief. Shouting or whispering can strain healing vocal cords. Also, try not to cough or clear your throat a lot as you heal.

If doctors took a tissue sample, the results may take three to five days to come back. They might schedule another appointment to talk about what they found.

A fever of 100.4 F or higher may mean an infection. Call your doctor also if your sore throat lasts longer than many days.

Tian tells her patients to call anytime they're concerned, especially if "they have persistent pain in their tongue or numbness, if they have bleeding that's not slowing down or going away, trouble swallowing, or trouble breathing."

A laryngoscopy is a medical procedure that looks at your voice box (larynx) and throat.

In its simplest form, an indirect laryngoscopy, doctors look at your throat using a small mirror and light. A direct laryngoscopy involves inserting a tube with a camera, called a laryngoscope, into your throat.

Laryngoscopies are done to diagnose conditions ranging from laryngitis to cancer. They can be done in a doctor's office or in a hospital setting.

Surgical laryngoscopies need general anesthesia, and your doctor will tell you what to do to prepare. There is usually no preparation needed for a laryngoscopy in your doctor's office.

What's the difference between laryngoscopy and endoscopy?

An endoscopy is any procedure that uses a tube with light and a camera or lens to look inside your body. A laryngoscopy is an endoscopy that focuses on looking at the inside of your throat and voice box (larynx).

What does a laryngoscopy diagnose?

Doctors use laryngoscopy to diagnose conditions leading to symptoms such as chronic cough, sore throat, and hoarseness or diseases such as laryngitis and throat cancer. Your doctor may also carry out a laryngoscopy to remove a small growth or a section of tissue for examination.

How painful is a laryngoscopy?

Your throat is numbed for a flexible laryngoscopy, and general anesthesia is given for a surgical one. After the numbness or anesthesia wears off, you may have a sore throat, hoarseness, or a cough for many days.

Do you have to be sedated for laryngoscopy?

You do not have to be sedated for an indirect or direct flexible laryngoscopy in an office setting. For a surgery (usually outpatient), general anesthesia (sedation) is used.