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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Assessment of Respiratory Function in Conscious Mice by Double-chamber Plethysmography
Published on: July 10, 2018
[Dyspnoea caused by upper-airway obstruction: simple diagnosis by establishing a flow-volume loop]
E F G Kapteijns1, J M Kwakkel-van Erp, P J E Vos
1Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, afd. Longziekten. ekapteijns@alysis.nl
Abstract:
Three patients, men aged 72, 78 and 19 years, experienced shortness of breath and laboured breathing. All three had an upper-airway obstruction detected by a flow-volume loop and confirmed by bronchoscopy. The first patient had oesophageal carcinoma with vocal-cord paralysis and soon died. The second patient had a large struma; flow-volume loop improved after strumectomy. The third patient was diagnosed with extragonadal testicular carcinoma. The flow-volume loop improved after the first chemotherapy session. Flow-volume loop is an easy, non-invasive diagnostic tool that can be used even in severely-ill patients. It can provide information about the location of the obstruction and can differentiate between obstructive pulmonary disease and upper-airway obstruction. Therefore, it is recommended to obtain a flow-volume loop during the assessment of patients with upper airway obstruction.
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