title: Spirometry: a key diagnostic test in pulmonary medicine.
abstract: Spirometry is a simple and informative test for evaluating airflow obstruction. Measurements from a forced expiratory maneuver are conventionally displayed as volume vs time (spirogram) and flow vs volume (flow-volume loop) tracings. Spirometric measurements like the forced expiratory volume in 1 second inform about the degree of airflow obstruction, whereas the flow-volume loop helps identify the presence and anatomic location of upper airway obstruction, which may mimic symptoms of obstructive lung disease. As a simple, inexpensive, and informative test, spirometry should be used liberally in assessing patients with respiratory symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Disease, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Stoller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008449:Maximal Expiratory Flow-Volume Curves; D013147:Spirometry