Gastroesophageal reflux disease and pulmonary function: a potential role of the dead space extension.

Background: To evaluate the differences in the existence and size of dead space in patients with and without Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD and non-GERD) expressed through the size of intrapulmonary shunt (QS/QT).

Material/methods: The study enrolled 86 subjects - 43 patients referred for endoscopy because of symptoms of GERD (heartburn, acid regurgitation, dysfagia) and 43 healthy subjects with similar anthropometric characteristics without GERD symptoms. Based on endoscopy findings, patients were classified into the erosive reflux disease (ERD) group and non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) group.

Shunt in the diagnosis of initial lung lesion in smokers.

Cigarette smoking is an important risk factor for all respiratory tract diseases. Unfortunately, the symptoms develop slowly, thus patients feel the consequences of the slowly developing inflammation too late. The inflammation first develops in the area of respiratory bronchioles.

[Lung function in children residentially exposed to asbestos].

Impairment of respiratory function is one of the most sensitive indicators used in the evaluation of the effects of air pollution on human health. We compared predicted values of flow-volume curve according to Knudson and the spirometry results in 81 healthy children; 40 girls and 41 boy, aged (10.69 +/- 2.

Interobserver variations in diagnosing asbestosis according to the ILO classification.

Inhalation of asbestos fibres leads to asbestosis of the pleura and the lung, with possible progression to lung cancer and malignant pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma. Asbestosis remains difficult to diagnose, especially in its early stages. The most important role in its diagnosis is that of chest radiographs.

The effect of analgesics and physical therapy on respiratory function after open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

In this study we present prospective clinical trial included 100 patients. One half of the patients underwent open cholecystectomy, whereas laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed in the other half Spirometric parameters, arterial blood gases, acid-base balance, were determined preoperatively, and then at 6 h, 24 h, 72 h and 144 h postoperatively. The impact of physical therapy on the respiratory parameter patterns, VAS-pain score and use of tramadol were studied after cholecystectomy.

Dynamics of the lung function in asbestos pleural disease.

As a rule, asbestosis is a disease of workers who are occupationally exposed to inhalation of asbestos dust, leaving permanent alterations on the lung parenchyma or pleura. In our ten-year study, we investigated 318 workers with pleural asbestosis from whom we took medical history which included occupational exposure to asbestos, radiological examinations and lung function, which is mandatory for the diagnosis and the follow up of the disease. We analysed functional parameters such as forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and intermediate forced expiratory flow at 25% to 75% (FEF25%-75%).

[Asbestosis--physical examination and symptoms].

The study included 318 asbestos exposed workers. The aim was to investigate the symptomatology and clinical findings over an average period of ten years. We took in cosideration quantitative data and analyzed them by statistical methodology of univariate and multivariate data analysis and chi2-test.

Pulmonary function in military divers: smoking habits and physical fitness training influence.

Pulmonary function (PF) tests are procedures that measure the function of the lungs, revealing problems in breathing, and therefore are highly important in diving. In this article, we studied the PF in military divers and defined the differences between (A) males (n = 32) and females (n = 27), (B) male smokers and nonsmokers, and (C) female smokers and non-smokers. PF was established by measuring: the large airway variables: inspiratory-vital capacity, forced-vital capacity, 1-second forced-expiratory volume, and 1-second forced-expiratory volume:forced-vital capacity ratio; and small airway variables: peak-expiratory flow, maximal-mid-expiratory flow, and maximal-expiratory flow after 50% and 75% of exhalation, all in absolute and relative (predicted for age and stature) values.

Influence of passive smoking on basic anthropometric characteristics and respiratory function in young athletes.

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the maintenance difference in basic anthropometric characteristics and to outline the dynamics of respiratory function change in youngsters athletes exposed to passive smoking (PS) and athletes not exposed to passive smoking in their families (NPS). High and weight were determined as basis anthropometric characteristics. Measured parameters for respiratory function were vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), maximum expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory flow at 50% forced vital capacity (MEF 50) and forced expiratory flow at 25% forced vital capacity (MEF 25).

Lung function changes in pleural asbestosis.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between radiographically detectable pleural changes and lung function in pleural asbestosis. One hundred and twenty chrysotile asbestos-exposed workers were enrolled in this retrospective study. For each examinee the length of asbestos exposure and the degree of dust cover at the workplace were assessed as well as the radiological and functional tests has been performed.

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis in childhood: clinical and radiological follow-up.

This report describes a case of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis that was diagnosed in an 8.5-year-old girl by high-resolution computed tomography (CT) and open lung biopsy. Presence of symptoms (productive cough, fever), their periodic occurrence (lasting up to 1 week), and comparatively long asymptomatic periods should be emphasized.

Effect of simvastatin on micropulmonary red cell mass in patients with hyperlipoproteinemia.

The purpose of this study was to compare the macrocirculatory and microcirculatory effects of simvastatin in hyperlipemic patients. In vitro measurements of lipoprotein levels and macrocirculatory hemorheology were complemented by in vivo measurements of the pulmonary capillary red cell volume (RCVpc) before and after 6 weeks of treatment with 40 mg of simvastatin daily in 30 male patients with hyperlipoproteinemia type IIa. RCVpc was assessed from the vascular component of the lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, using the modification of the Roughton-Forster's method.

Laparoscopic and laparotomic cholecystectomy: a randomized trial comparing postoperative respiratory function.

Background: The fact that pulmonary complications occur in 20-60% of the patients subjected to abdominal operations clearly indicates that the lungs are the most endangered organ during the postoperative period.

Objective: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the impact of cholecystectomy on postoperative respiratory disturbances by comparing the laparotomic cholecystectomy with laparoscopic gallbladder removal.

Patients And Methods: A hundred cholecystectomized patients were included in the prospective randomized clinical trial.

[Video thoracoscopic therapy of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax].

We report our first experience in surgical treatment of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax using video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). From May 1995 to April 1998, 38 cases of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax were treated using the VATS approach. All patients were previously treated by other methods (conservative, thoracocentesis, chest-tube drainage).

A case of syphilitic interstitial pulmonary fibrosis.

Diagnosis of late pulmonary syphilis was made in a 72-year old woman on the basis of her medical history of untreated genital syphilis, serological and radiological findings, and the response to therapy. The diagnosis was confirmed two years later by autopsy findings. There was a good correlation between chest x-ray radiography, computed tomography scans, and autopsy findings.

Recovery of respiratory functional defects after war injuries to the chest.

Aim: Assessment of lung function before, during, and after surgical treatment of war injuries to the chest, and comparison of conservative and operative surgical approach.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective study of 439 patients with war injuries to the chest inflicted during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina was performed. Patients were classified by injury mechanism and by physiologic scoring on admission, according to the cardiovascular-respiratory elements of the Injury Severity Score (ISS).

Spirometric disorders in women with genital descensus.

Background: We hypothesized that abnormalities in connective tissue, found in women with genital descensus, could impact their pulmonary function.

Method: Therefore we compared lung flows and volumes between women with (n = 100) and without (n = 100) descensus.

Results: Patients exhibited highly significant decrements in all expiratory flows, especially in the peak expiratory flow (-35%) and other flows at large lung volumes.

Functional effects of typical lung resections for primary bronchogenic carcinoma.

In 60 patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma undergoing surgery, pulmonary function studies were performed before, and then 10 days and 3 to 6 months after typical lung resection. Preoperative profiles showed a slight restrictive pattern without air trapping and slightly disturbed gas exchange. The restrictive pattern was not related to clinical, X-ray and endoscopy findings.

[Pulmonary function after decortication of the lung].

From 1985 to 1994 decortication of the lung was performed in 60 patients. The indications were: specific and non-specific empyema, chronic pleural effusion, chronic pneumothorax and hemothorax. To assess the lung function, the measurements of vital capacity, forced expiratory volume and maximum breathing capacity, as well as blood gas analysis were performed preoperatively and six months after the operation.

An increase in micropulmonary red cell mass in hyperlipidaemic patients.

It is known that pulmonary microcirculation rheology is partly affected by plasma levels of lipoproteins, but only a few data are available for humans. Therefore, in a sample of 30 normal volunteers and 90 patients with various types of primary hyperlipoproteinaemia, the plasma levels of total cholesterol (Chol), low density cholesterol (LDL), the high density cholesterol (HDL), triglyceride (Tg) and fibrinogen (Fib) were measured in conjunction with determinations of plasma viscosity (PV) and the pulmonary capillary red cell volume (RCVc). RCVc was estimated from measurements of the vascular component of the single-breath-diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide, using our own modification of the Roughton-Forster's method.

Increase of lung transfer factor in early sarcoidosis.

Dynamic spirometry and the lung transfer factor for CO (TLCO) were determined in 41 non-smoking patients with sarcoidosis before and after steroid treatment. Dynamic spirometry revealed usual stage-dependent restrictive and/or obstructive abnormalities; only maximal expiratory flow rate at 75% FVC (MEF75) was significantly increased after steroid treatment in stage 2 patients. The new finding is that TLCO was increased in stage 1 [on average 21% above the predicted values (p.

Increase of pulmonary diffusing capacity in systemic sclerosis.

Pulmonary function tests and chest radiographs of 29 non-smoking systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients were analysed, featuring an apparently paradoxic finding of an increased diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). Twenty-one patients (72%) had abnormal pulmonary function, 11 of them had restrictive disease (38%), six (21%) had isolated DLCO increase, four (14%) had isolated DLCO reduction, while two patients had obstructive disease (7%). Chest X-ray revealed interstitial abnormalities consistent with pulmonary fibrosis in all four patients with isolated DLCO reduction, in one obstructive patient and in six restrictive patients.

Model for radionuclide evaluation of left-to-right ductal shunts.

A model for radionuclide evaluation of left-to-right ductal shunts was designed. It was a generalization of the standard Maltz-Treves method, accounting for the possibility that distribution of the shunt flow between the two lungs differs from that in the right ventricular (RV) output (Fs). This yields a new formulation in which the ratio of ductal flow to pulmonary flow (Fd/Fp) equals a weighted average of Fd/Fp obtained separately for the right lung (RL) and the left lung (LL), i.

[The effect of hemoglobin levels in the blood in pulmonary diffusing capacity].

Using a "single breath" method, diffusing lung capacity (DLCO) and unit DLCO (KCO) were measured in 19 patients with chronic sideropenic anemia and 19 healthy women who were without any clinical or radiologic evidence suggestive of cardiorespiratory disease. Anemic patients, compared to the control group, had significantly reduced DLCO (% predicted) and KCO (% predicted) (p < 0.01).