Airway obstruction, upper airway artifact and response to bronchodilator in asthmatic and healthy children.

Background: The forced oscillation technique (FOT) may be affected by the upper airway artifact in children with airway obstruction. The aim was to test the impact of the artifact on FOT ability to diagnose asthma in children as recommended by current guidelines.

Methods: The FOT was performed in 58 asthmatics and 27 controls before and after salbutamol.