Impulse oscillometry versus spirometry in a long-term study of controller therapy for pediatric asthma.

Background: Determination of the benefits and limitations of specific physiologic tests has not been well studied in long-term clinical pediatric trials.

Objective: We sought to determine the utility of impulse oscillometry in a long-term comparison of 3 controller regimens in children with persistent asthma.

Methods: Children 6 to 14 years of age with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma were characterized with oscillometry and spirometry before entry into a clinical trial and then serially during 48 weeks of therapy with either an inhaled corticosteroid, a combination inhaled corticosteroid with a long-acting beta-agonist, or a leukotriene receptor antagonist.