BACKGROUND The development of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-RT) has enabled the restriction of the dose to normal lung, limiting radiation-induced lung injury. OBJECTIVES This study was designed to describe the time course of lung function until 7.5 months after 3D-RT in patients with lung cancer, and assess the relationship between lung function changes and dose-volume histogr...

Vital capacity and residual lung volume (in terms of 1/min or ml/m2 of body surface area) of 357 subjects (205 males, 152 females) was evaluated in La Paz, Bolivia, situated at 3,750 m. The sample included: (1) 37 high altitude rural natives (all male), (2) 125 high altitude urban natives (69 male, 58 female), (3) 85 Bolivians of foreign ancestry acclimatized to high altitude since birth (40 ma...

OBJECTIVES A combination of functional measurements reflecting a decrease in maximum flow, a degree of lung hyperinflation, the relationship between maximum inspiratory and expiratory flows, bronchodilator response, and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was used to quantify the extent of emphysema, as assessed by high-resolution CT (HRCT) scanning. DESIGN Forced inspir...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to clarify preoperative lung function as a prognostic factor for the long-term survival of, and to discuss the appropriateness of lobectomy for, patients with stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma who have poor preoperative pulmonary function. METHODS The study group consisted of 402 lobectomized patients with stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma treated ...

OBJECTIVES To assess the relevance of maximal inspiratory flow rates (MIFR) in the assessment of airway obstruction in COPD. SETTING University teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS Ten consecutive COPD patients (O group; mean [+/- SD] age, 58.5+/-8.3 years) and 10 matched healthy subjects (H group; mean age, 58.7+/-7.4 years). MEASUREMENTS Lung volumes, FEV(1), specific airway conductance, sin...

The effects of pneumothorax or pleural effusion on respiratory function as measured by the commonly applied tests were investigated by studying 13 patients (six with pneumothorax, seven with effusion) with and, as far as possible, without air or fluid in the pleural cavity. Measurements included spirometric volumes, carbon monoxide transfer factor (TLCO), and KCO by the single breath method, ma...

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive disease (AECOPD) are characterised by worsening dyspnoea that is variably prolonged. In this study, physiological changes during moderate AECOPD were examined and the factors associated with dyspnoea resolution over time were determined. In total, 20 patients experiencing an AECOPD were evaluated within 72 h of initial worsening of symptoms (day 0) wit...

Purpose: To investigate important factors affecting the frequency of air trapping through observation of normal lung attenuation, and propose a cause of heterogeneous attenuation. Materials and Methods: In this ethical committee-approved study, a total of 109 patients (30 males, 79 females; mean age, 58.2 years; range, 27 81 years) were included. All patients had undergone inspiratory and expir...

Diver’s Lung Function: Influence of Smoking Habit: Shinya SUZUKI. Japan Maritime SelfDefense Force Undersea Medical Center—To assess the influence of smoking habit on divers’ lung function, we measured static lung volumes, dynamic lung volumes and flows and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) on 71 healthy, male, JMSDF active-duty uniformed divers (46 smokers and 25 nonsmokers) . Al l...

BACKGROUND Dynamic hyperinflation, caused by expiratory flow limitation, markedly increases resting end-expiratory lung volume (functional residual capacity) in many COPD patients. OBJECTIVE To determine the impact and duration of impact of CPAP on hyperinflation and airway resistance in patients with stable COPD. METHODS In a case series, 21 patients underwent CPAP at 8 cm H(2)O for 15 min...