[Correlation of roentgen picture and lung function testing within the scope of silicosis evaluation]

The chest roentgenograms codified according to the 1980 ILO classification and the lung function tests of 100 persons with silicosis have been compared with each other. The results show that, with a higher degree of dissemination and a growing size of nodes, there is a statistically significant tendency to increasing gravity of pathological results of resistance and the arterial blood gas analysis. A correlation between the degree of dissemination and the size of nodes to other lung function parameters (vital capacity, intrathoracic gas volume) cannot be finally established. Furthermore, neither coding as category B nor the employment of the symbols em (emphysema) and tb (tuberculosis) allow conclusions to be drawn about the results of lung function tests. The poor correlation is caused on one hand by the insufficient description of the morphological parameters important for function, due to the restricted classification. On the other hand there is little correlation between chest roentgenogram and lung function, as lung function in anthracosis is essentially influenced by obstructive bronchitis, which has only a loose connection with silicosis.--Lung function must be the central point in the process of forming an opinion. Chest roentgenograms are important for clarifying the causes of pathological changes and allow a simple observation of progress.