Pulmonary function testing in bronchial asthma: standard and emerging techniques.
Despite the myriad of tests available to characterize bronchial asthma, the simple forced expiratory spirogram remains the most straight-forward and reliable technique to diagnose the disorder and gauge its severity. When combined with bronchodilator and bronchial challenge testing, a wide range of clinical situations can be evaluated, even in the office setting. A well-performed forced expiratory spirogram remains the cornerstone of pulmonary function testing; the emergence of the additional analytic techniques described holds the promise of even greater utility in the future.
Brown
L K
LK
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029.
D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D006801:Humans; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D013147:Spirometry