What we know: Tests that have allowed the measurement of lung function in infants have greatly enhanced our understanding of early pulmonary development and the pathophysiology of early respiratory disease. Airway responsiveness in infancy appears to be an independent determinant of symptoms and lung function later in childhood. New tests of airway responsiveness hold the promise of predicting,...

The European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) established a joint task force with the purpose to develop clinical evidence-based guidelines on evaluation of fitness for radical therapy in patients with lung cancer. The following topics were discussed, and are summarized in the final report along with graded recommendations: Cardiologic evaluation be...

      There are evidences that statins have anti-inflammatory effects beyond their cholesterol lowering properties. The study was conducted to assess the effects of atorvastatin on asthma as an inflammatory disease. Patients with moderate to severe asthma were entered this randomized, double blind, crossover clinical trial. The impact of oral atorvastatin (10 mg/day) on the lung function of nor...

Spirometry forms an important component in the diagnosis and management of pulmonary diseases in children. In the paediatric setting, there are different challenges in terms of performance and interpretation of good quality and reliable tests. An awareness of the physiological and developmental aspects that exist in children is necessary to improve the quality and reliability of spirometry. We ...

In their recent paper Portengen and colleagues have made an important contribution to our understanding of laboratory animal allergy. However, they have omitted to draw attention to an observation of clinical importance to occupational physicians. They have suggested that the lack of decline in lung function in ‘‘experienced’’ workers may be due to the healthy worker effect. Their suggestion is...

Pulmonary function tests (PFT) are a battery of tests that measure lung function and aid in the management of patients with respiratory disease. They are performed using standardized equipment and can be used for diagnosis, prognostication, management and follow-up of patients with pulmonary pathology. Although PFT may not identify the exact pathology, it broadly classifies respiratory disorder...

Pulmonary function tests (PFT) are a battery of tests that measure lung function and aid in the management of patients with respiratory disease. They are performed using standardized equipment and can be used for diagnosis, prognostication, management and follow-up of patients with pulmonary pathology. Although PFT may not identify the exact pathology, it broadly classifies respiratory disorder...

This paper reviews the basis for bronchoalveolar lavage and lung function tests for the diagnosis of inflammatory airway disease (IAD)—defined as cough, airway mucus, and/or exercise intolerance. It is important to realize that these signs, no matter how subtle, may indicate the presence of lower airway inflammation, airway obstruction, and airway hyper-reactivity, which are inextricably linked...

Pulmonary resection is the first therapeutic option of various lung pathologies, among which localized non-microcytic bronchogenic carcinoma is the most prevalent. Due to the fact that many patients who develop non-microcytic bronchogenic carcinoma present significant comorbidity, lung resection is associated with an increased risk (between 2 and 5%) of perioperative death (Little et al., 2005)...