[Optoelectronic plethysmography: a new tool in respiratory medicine]

Opto-electronic plethysmography (OEP) is a new noninvasive technique, recently introduced, which is highly accurate in the measurement of total chest wall volume variations, allowing partitioning of the complex shape of the chest wall into different functional compartments. It can measure breathing patterns and, if combined with pressure measurements, can be used to study statics, dynamics and energetics of the respiratory system. OEP does not require connection to the patient and can be used without a subject-specific calibration. All these features and the results obtained in several studies make the OEP not only a reliable system for basic physiological and pathophysiological research studies, but also an attractive tool to be used in clinics.