Despite the strong trend toward use of general anesthesia for laryngoscopy, local anesthesia retains inherent advantages from the standpoint of patient safety and maintenance of physiologic function of the larynx during endoscopy. Topical anesthesia produces incomplete sensory blockade and is unsatisfactory for suspension laryngoscopy. A method of infiltration anesthesia is described whereby profound anesthesia of the base of the tongue, valleculae, and larynx can be achieved to allow suspension laryngoscopy.