Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Assessment of pulmonary function in COPD.

Christopher B Cooper1

  • 1Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, 37-131 CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. ccooper@mednet.ucla.edu

Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|August 10, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Correspondence: A two-step algorithm for pharmacologic management of COPD: Bridging foundational and personalized medicine.

Respiratory medicine·2026
Same author

Association Between Chronic PM2.5 Exposure and CT-Detected Lung Abnormalities in the SPIROMICS Cohort.

Annals of the American Thoracic Society·2026
Same author

The evolving science of ventilation heterogeneity: From pathophysiology to personalized therapeutic approaches.

Respiratory medicine·2026
Same author

Similarity of sputum mediator signatures between e-cigarette users and COPD depends on GOLD stage and type of e-cigarette: a pilot study.

PloS one·2026
Same author

ERS technical standard on reference values for cardiopulmonary exercise testing: summary report and a call for action.

The European respiratory journal·2026
Same author

Peak Oxygen Uptake Prediction From Resting and Submaximal Variables of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing.

Journal of the American Heart Association·2026

Pulmonary function testing aids in diagnosing and staging chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While current criteria for airflow obstruction have limitations, spirometry and other lung function tests remain vital for clinical decisions and risk assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Diagnostic Techniques

Background:

  • Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is crucial for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and assessing its severity.
  • Current diagnostic criteria for airflow obstruction, based on a fixed forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio, may lead to misdiagnosis in certain age groups.
  • The accessibility of PFT in physician offices has increased due to advancements in spirometry technology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of PFT in COPD diagnosis and severity staging.
  • To discuss the limitations of current diagnostic criteria and the utility of alternative PFT methods.
  • To highlight the importance of PFT in preoperative risk assessment.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Review of current literature and clinical guidelines on pulmonary function testing.
  • Discussion of spirometry, body plethysmography, and oscillometry techniques.
  • Examination of the application of PFT in COPD diagnosis, management, and surgical risk evaluation.

    • Main Results:

    • The traditional FEV1/FVC < 70% criterion for airflow obstruction can result in false negatives in younger individuals and false positives in the elderly.
    • Spirometry, complemented by lung volume measurements (e.g., body plethysmography), is recommended for diagnosing airflow obstruction.
    • Techniques like forced oscillation and impulse oscillometry show promise for detecting small airway disease noninvasively.

    Conclusions:

    • Pulmonary function testing, particularly spirometry, is essential for COPD diagnosis and management.
    • Refined diagnostic approaches and complementary PFT methods are needed to overcome the limitations of current criteria.
    • PFT plays a critical role in evaluating surgical risks, such as for lung volume reduction or nodule resection.