Assessment of proximal airway obstruction in children by analysis of flow-volume loops.
The usefulness of maximal expiratory and inspiratory flow-volume (F-V) loops was assessed in ten children with clinical evidence of tracheal or laryngeal obstruction. Normal values from 514 healthy children are presented. Measurement of maximal flow, and expiratory/inspiratory flow ratios and observation of the characteristic contours of the F-V loops distinguished between proximal and peripheral airways obstruction in all cases. Most children over the age of 7 years could perform the test adequately. F-V loop analysis is a valuable technique in the assessment of the child with proximal airway obstruction. Unlike endoscopic and radiological investigation, it measures the functional rather than the anatomical degree of obstruction, and provides a simple non-invasive way of monitoring the response to treatment.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008449:Maximal Expiratory Flow-Volume Curves; D012737:Sex Factors; D013147:Spirometry; D014797:Vital Capacity