[Expert meeting obstructive airway disease measuring and evaluating in COPD]

This report gives an overview on the contributions presented in an expert meeting in February, 2015. They deal with the analysis and evaluation of the multiple dimensions of COPD. This complex disease not only interferes with pulmonary mechanics and gas exchange, but also with cardiopulmonary crosstalk and the ventilator pump. A bulk of inflammatory and microbial activity develops during the progression of disease. As a consequence, systemic effects on muscles, metabolism and psyche develop.The sections consider the value of multiple endpoints in clinical research. Quantifiable parameters of lung mechanics and gas exchange, of exercise tolerance and biomarkers improve the measurability of effects in interventions. However, do we really know in a biological sense what we are measuring? What conclusions can we draw in terms of prognosis?Vice versa, we have to look into the origin and meaning of integrative endpoints e.g. quality or life, dyspnoea and spontaneous physical activity. As a new dimension, the clinical significance of morphological findings in HRCT and MRT is analyzed.