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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Murine Intrapulmonary Tracheal Transplantation: A Model for Investigating Obliterative Airway Disease After Lung Transplantation
Published on: November 10, 2023
[Which definition to use when defining airflow obstruction?]
H Ben Saad1, R Ben Attia Saafi, S Rouatbi
1Service de physiologie et des explorations fonctionnelles, EPS Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisia. helmi.bensaad@rns.tn
Introduction:
There is no clear consensus as to what constitutes an obstructive ventilatory defect (OVD). According to the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society, it is defined as being when the ratio of the forced expiratory volume (FEV1) and the slow expiratory vital capacity (VC) is below the lower limit of normal (LLN). According to the Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease and the British Thoracic Society, it is an FEV1/forced expiratory vital capacity (FVC)<0.70 and an FEV1<80%. In addition, in daily practice, the OVD is diagnosed by a "Fixed ratio" FEV1/FVC<0.70 or
Methods:
A medical questionnaire was administered and anthropometric data were collected. The expiratory flows and pulmonary volumes were measured by a body plethysmograph.
Results:
121 (81%) subjects among the 150 examined were included. The percentage of subjects having an OVD was 56.1% (FEV1/VC
Conclusion:
The prevalence of obstructive ventilatory defect in a population depends on the definition chosen.
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