Evaluation of mean transit time in children as an indicator of airways obstruction

Mean transit time was evaluated as a test of pulmonary function in normal and asthmatic children. It was found to be independent of body size and negatively correlated with PEFR, FEV1 and FVC in normal children. Mean transit time was less sensitive in detecting the effects of bronchodilator therapy in asthmatic children than other simpler tests of lung function. The range of normal was so wide that there was no clear demarcation between normal and abnormal. The degree of overlap makes isolated tests of mean transit time of little diagnostic value. It is therefore concluded that mean transit time though it theoretically offers the attractive advantage of being a sensitive indicator of both large and small airways obstruction, is unlikely to play a major part in the routine evaluation of lung function in asthmatic children.