Anatomy

Vallecula (vallecular space)

Also written as valleculae, vallecular space, vallecular residue, epiglottic vallecula.

The vallecula is a small pocket at the very back of the tongue, just in front of the epiglottis, where food or liquid can briefly rest.

The vallecula sits at the base of your tongue, deep behind the spot under your chin. It is really two shallow pockets, one on the left and one on the right, in the small valley between the back of the tongue and the epiglottis (the flap that folds down over the airway when you swallow). You may see it written as "vallecula" for one side or "valleculae" for both.

These pockets are completely normal and everyone has them. One thing they do all day and night is collect saliva, which is part of why you are not swallowing constantly while you sleep.

In a swallow study report, this area most often shows up in a sentence like "residue was noted in the valleculae." Residue just means that some of what was swallowed stayed in that pocket instead of continuing down.

The vallecula sits close to the entrance of the voice box, so it is one of the standard spots a clinician checks after each swallow, along with whether a second swallow or a small change in technique clears it. What any particular finding means for you is a conversation for your own medical team.