Impulse oscillometry in children and adolescents with persistent asthma and its correlation with spirometry

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Diagnostic Tools

Background:

• Asthma is a prevalent chronic childhood respiratory condition.
• Spirometry is the standard for lung function assessment.
• Impulse oscillometry measures respiratory system impedance as an alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess pulmonary function in pediatric asthma patients using impulse oscillometry.
• To correlate impulse oscillometry findings with spirometry results.
• To evaluate impulse oscillometry's utility in different asthma control levels.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 130 asthmatic children and adolescents (6-18 years).
• Pulmonary function assessed by impulse oscillometry and spirometry.
• Patients categorized by Asthma Control Test (ACT/C-ACT) into controlled (>19) and uncontrolled (≤19) groups.

Main Results:

• No significant parameter differences between controlled and uncontrolled asthma groups for either test.
• Altered results observed in 20% of impulse oscillometry and 25% of spirometry tests.
• Impulse oscillometry changes were more common in controlled asthma; moderate correlation found between specific parameters (R5, X5, Fres) and spirometry, notably X5 (%) and FEV1/FVC (%) (r: -0.58) in controlled asthma.
• Similar bronchodilator responses detected by both methods with reasonable agreement.

Conclusions:

• Impulse oscillometry demonstrates a weak to moderate correlation with spirometry in pediatric asthma.
• The findings support impulse oscillometry as a complementary tool for assessing lung function in children with asthma.
• Further research may clarify its role in monitoring disease control and response to treatment.