[Use of routinely performed spirometry in the general medical examination (author's transl)].

The value of routine spirometry was investigated in 631 unselected out-patients. The spirogram was abnormal in 17%, the ECG in 15% and the chest X-ray in 13% of patients. Pathological spirograms correlated mainly with mild or moderate obstructive ventilatory disturbances (80%) which were associated with clinical findings in only 74%.

[Significance of measurement of the oscillatory resistance to respiration in children. (author's transl)].

The oscillatory resistance to respiration (Ros) was measured in 218 children and 260 adults using the Siregnost FD5 (Siemens, Erlangen), and compared with whole body plethysmography (Raw) and with spirometry. There was a markedly better correlation between Ros and Raw (r=0.82;n=88) in children than in adults (r=0.

Intrapulmonary gas transport of He and SF6 in healthy subjects and patients with chronic obstructive lung disease.

Intrapulmonary mixing of inert gases of different diffusivity, He and SF6, was studied in 5 healthy subjects before and after bronchoconstriction induced by acetylcholine and in 4 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease by analyzing alveolar plateaus, determined at various breath-holding times, tBH. The following results were obtained: (a) In healthy subjects in patients the slope of the alveolar plateau-e.e.

Measurement of respiratory mechanics with forced oscillations. Comparison of two methods (Siregnost FD 5 versus a pseudorandom noise technique).

Two methods for measuring respiratory mechanics by forced oscillations were compared, one using a frequency spectrum of 2-32 Hz produced by a pseudorandom noise generator (PRN), the other (Siregnost FD 5) a constant frequency of 10 Hz. In normals and patients with various lung diseases real part of impedance, Re, and phase angle, psi, determined at 10Hz with the two devices correlated well; however, Re measured by Siregnost FD 5 was always higher when compared to PRN. In patients with airway obstruction frequency dependence of resistance and reactance could be shown to be related to the severity of the disease.

[The effect of aminophylline (Euphyllin) on the mechanics of breathing and the gaseous exchange in persons with bronchial asthma (author's transl)].

The physiological effect of intravenous application of aminophylline on the mechanics of breathing and the gaseous exchange in persons with bronchial asthma was studied in 7 out-patients before, during and up to 90 minutes after intravenous injection of 0,48 g of Euphillin, and the data were related to the respective serum levels of the drug. The patients suffered from long-standing bronchial asthma, generally associated with moderate airways obstruction. The bronchodilating effect of Euphyllin could be substantiated for the whole time of the trial solely in respect of the changes in oscillatory impedence; the other parameters showed only temporary changes which had disappeard by the end of the trial although the serum levels of aminophylline were in the therapeutic range (mean +/- SD: 12,5 +/- 3,0 microgram/ml).

[Long-term therapy of bronchial asthma with ketotifen. European experiences].

The results of clinical trials in patients with allergic bronchial asthma performed to demonstrate the therapeutic effect of the newly developed substance Ketotifen are reviewed: 1. In 154 patients the efficacy of ketotifen was superior to the antihistaminic clemastine. 2.

Lung function studies in a patient with diffuse pulmonary fibroleiomyomas.

Diffuse pulmonary fibroleiomyomas were detected by open-lung biopsy in a 33-year-old male patient. Lung function studies revealed severe airflow obstruction, hyperinflation, grossly impaired single-breath-diffusing capacity and a decrease in PaO2 during exercise, i.e.

[The value of measurements of oscillatory resistance in the evaluation of lung function. A comparative study in adults and children (author's transl)].

Measurements of total oscillatory impedance (ROS) together with spirometric and body plethysmographic determinations were made in adults and children and the results were compared. In adults (n = 260) correlation was less close (r = 0.53) than it was in 88 children (r = 0.

[The value of lung biopsy in the radiological stage of bihilar adenopathy of sarcoidosis (author's transl)].

The classification of intrathoracic sarcoidosis into stages is based on radiological criteria. As pulmonary involvement is often considered to be an indication for corticosteroid therapy a comparison was made between the X-ray picture and lung biopsy in stage I sarcoidosis. Non-caseating epitheloid granulomas were found in 9 of 12 patients.

[An experimental and clinical study of the effect of ketotifen in the treatment of extrinsic bronchial asthma (author's transl)].

The therapeutic value of ketotifen (Zaditen), a new anti-allergic drug, was studied in patients with extrinsic bronchial asthma. a) In 8 persons the protective effect on bronchial provocation tests with allergen was examined 3 and 14 days after treatment and compared with cromoglycate (Intal); b) 19 patients were treated for 6 months with 2 x 1 milligram ketotifen (n = 7), 2 x 2 mg ketotifen (n = 7), 2 x 1 mg clemastine (Tavegil) (n = 5). The results were as follows: a) The amount of inhaled allergen causing a fall of 20% in FEV1.

[Comparison of the oscillatory measurement of airway resistance with plethysmography and spirometry in juvenile patients].

In 78 children (age 4 to 17 years, height 102 to 179 cm) with and without clinical signs of airway obstruction, spirometric and plethysmographic measurements were compared with the forced oscillation method for determination of resistance to breathing (Ros). Ros was measured with a recently developed apparatus (Siregnost FD5. Siemens) and showed a close correlation with resistance (r = 0.

[Normal values of respiratory resistance in childhood (oscillation method) (author's transl)].

Normal values for respiratory resistance were determined by means of the oscillation method in 257 children and adolescents of both sexes aged 3--17 years. Respiratory resistance, measured by both the oscillatory and plethysmographic method, increased in inverse proportion to body height, body weight, body surface and age. Normal values can be estimated by means of the equation: y = 14.

Dco at various breath-holding times: comparison in patients with chronic bronchial asthma and emphysema.

Measurement of Dco is known to be dependent upon functional inhomogeneities. Because different types of inhomogeneities are operative in patients with bronchial asthma and patients with emphysema, different changes of Dco with increasing breath-holding time, tA, are to be expected. We studied the change of Dco with increasing breath-holding time in healthy subjects, patients with asthma bronchiale and patients with emphysema.

Pulmonary O2 diffusing capacity at exercise by a modified rebreathing method.

The rebreathing technique for the measurement of the pulmonary O2 diffusing capacity, DO2, previously developed for resting conditions [Cerretelli et al., J. appl.

Convective and diffusive gas mixing in human lungs: experiments and model analysis.

Equilibration of inspired with lung residual gas was studied by a single-breath technique for varying breath-holding time with He, Ar, and SF6 as test gases. The ratio of end-expired (FE') to mean lung concentration after expiration (FL) was always below unity, indicating imperfect mixing of gas in the lung. The ratio of FL/FE' for all gases increased with tB, for any tB the ratio was smallest for SF6 and greatest for He.

Gas exchange in air sacs: contribution to respiratory gas exchange in ducks.

Air sac gas exchange was studied in ducks by measuring the rates of inert gas uptake and of O2 and CO2 equilibration in caudal thoracic air sac whose ventilation was prevented by surgival sealing of the ostia. The data were analyzed on a model incorporating three possible routes by which air sac gas could be exchanged with the surrounding tissue: (1) into the blood perfusing the air sac walls; (2) into the adjoining air sac via tissue membranes; (3) into the bronchial system of the lung via diffusion through lung tissue bordering upon the caudal thoracic air sac. Exchange rates of gases via the two latter paths were found to be small as compared with the first route.