title: Changes in respiratory function in disorders of the thoracic cage. With special reference to the ventilatory mechanism and the regulation in scoliosis.
abstract: After describing the clinical and functional effects of pathological changes in the thoracic cage ("mechanical syndrome" and "neuromuscular syndrome"), the authors discuss the disorders of respiratory function observed in a group of patients with poliomyelitic scoliosis. The aim was to establish the type and nature of these changes with a view to clarifying certain pathogenetic aspects. Two factors suggest that the altered geometry of the thoracic cage in scoliosis is responsible for the mechanical inefficiency of the thoracopulmonary apparatus, namely: 1. changes in respiratory function, since there was a strict correlation between the severity of the scoliosis and the degree of change in certain indices of respiratory function (vital capacity, maximum expiratory volume per second, maximum ventilation per minute); 2. changes in the regulation of ventilation, indicated by: a) good correlation between the ventilatory response to CO2 and the severity of the anatomical lesion; b) a reduction in the occlusion pressure, which is regarded as the pressure available to produce ventilation.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000150:complications; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013896:Thoracic Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*