Radiographically determined lung volumes at full inspiration and during dynamic forced expiration in normal subjects

Posteroanterior and lateral radiographs of the lungs of 30 normal adults were obtained at total lung capacity (TLC) and 1 sec after initiation of forced expiration from ttlc. simultaneous spirographic recording of the volume expired (FEV-1) and independent plethysmographic recording of TLC were obtained. Two types of measurements were made from the radiographs: 1) surface areas of the lung fields, measured planimetrically; and 2) combinations of linear distances between selected points. These radiographic measurements and the measured lung volumes were subjected to computer analysis to develop reliable formulas for determining lung volumes solely from radiographs. Formulas derived using planimetry produced multiple correlation coefficients of 0.95 for TLC and 0.89 for volume during forced expiration. Use of linear measurements produced multiple correlation coefficients of 0.92 for TLC and 0.84 for dynamic volume. Thus, in normal subjects, static lung volumes and lung volumes during dynamic forced expiration can be determined from radiographs.