CONTENTS Background............................................................... 948 Reference
equations........................................................ 949 General issues …

Spirometry is the main pulmonary function test and is essential for the evaluation and
monitoring of respiratory diseases. Its utility transcends the field of Respiratory Medicine, is …

The degree of acute improvement in spirometric indices after bronchodilator inhalation
varies among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, and depends upon …

The clinical characteristics and pathology of sarcoidosis are well defined; however, the
optimal therapy for this disorder remains unclear. Although patients respond, acutely, to …

Asthma is characterised by variable and reversible expiratory airflow limitations. Thus, it is
logical to use the change in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in response to a …

BACKGROUND: There is no agreement on how a bronchodilator response should be
expressed. Ideally, the index used should be able to distinguish asthma from chronic …

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of disability, hospital
admission and premature death. More than half a million Australians are estimated to have …

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pulmonary fibrosis associated with a collagen
vascular disorder (PF-CVD) are chronic inflammatory lung disorders which may be …

Rationale Criteria for a clinically significant bronchodilator response (BDR) are mainly
based on studies in patients with obstructive lung diseases. Little is known about the BDR in …

The thresholds used to define a positive result for bronchial provocation challenges (BPC)
are arbitrary. Requiring smaller decrements in expired flow to define a positive study would …