A pulmonary function test is a series of tests that measure lung function. The tests provide information about the amount of air a person's lungs can hold, and how effectively the lungs work. They also look at the forcefulness of an individual's breathing.
A pulmonary function test may be done when a person has shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing. The test can be used to diagnose respiratory conditions, including the following:
- abnormal blood flow to the lungs, such as pulmonary hypertension
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema
- reactive airway disease, such as asthma
- other respiratory diseases, such as cystic fibrosis.
Once a respiratory problem has been diagnosed, pulmonary function tests can be used to monitor response to treatment.
We conduct the following pulmonary function tests at our lab:
- Spirometry identifies patients who might have obstructive or restrictive lung disease, but also helps the physician objectively determine the severity of the diseases and provides a benchmark for future comparison should the patient show either improvement or deterioration.
- Lung volume determination is used to measure the total volume of the lung in the chest (termed the total lung capacity). Lung capacity analysis can indicate pulmonary restriction (small lung size) either from scarring of the lung tissue, extrinsic compression of the lung by fluid or chest/abdominal wall abnormalities, or weakness of the diaphragms. A high total lung capacity usually indicates "trapping" of air in the lungs by obstructive lung diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema or COPD.
- Lung diffusion capacity determination essentially measures how well the lungs are working in their basic function - that is, transferring gas between the air and the blood stream.
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