Douglas revisited. A stethographic method for visualizing thoracoabdominal motion.
The stethograph is an air-filled tube strapped to the chest. It was popular in the early part of the century as a means of detecting rib cage motion. When a second stethograph is strapped to the abdomen and coupled to an x-y recorded, a 'loop' is generated which characterizes the thoracoabdominal motion during inspiration. Inspiratory muscle weakness or dysynchrony can be reliably and economically evaluated with this technique. Visualizing thoracoabdominal motion on an x-y recorded provides a useful means of instructing patients during breathing retraining.
D000005:Abdomen / Q000502:physiology; D001314:Auscultation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005652:Functional Residual Capacity; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009068:Movement; D012119:Respiration; D013909:Thorax / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014109:Total Lung Capacity