Assessment of Airway Distensibility by the Forced Oscillation Technique: Reproducible and Potentially Simplifiable.

A non-invasive index of airway distensibility is required to track airway remodeling over time. The forced oscillation technique (FOT) provides such an index by measuring the change in respiratory system conductance at 5 Hz over the corresponding change in lung volume (ΔGrs/ΔV). To become useful clinically, this method has to be reproducible and easy to perform.