[The forced expiration test from the pulmonary capacity usable in effort to the transit time]

Since Tiffeneau's days the forced expiration test used qualitatively and quantitatively has undergone numerous changes. FEV1 remains useful to diagnose bronchial obstruction, but other, more sensitive parameters have been introduced for epidemiological purposes. Following a review of the data provided by flow-volume curves, the authors discuss the pros and cons of its statistical analysis by the moment method, as expressed in the literature.