Rapid and accurate determination of total lung capacity (TLC) from routine chest radiograms using a programmable...

Since its appearance in 1960, the method of Barnhard and associates for the determination of total lung capacity (TLC) from routine chest radiograms has been widely studied in normal and diseased subjects. The method appears to be as accurate as the current definitive procedure, total body plethysmography. The method is in routine use in major medical institutions where the procedure has been automated, but the method does not seem to have gained the wide use it deserves. This is likely due to the tedium of the technique when performed manually--a single determination can require 30 min. We present here an implementation of the Barnhard method for the HP41-C hand-held programmable calculator. In conjunction with the use of a transparent reticle used for obtaining the required measurements, the program allows a single measurement to be made in under 12 minutes. We hope this technique will make radiographic TLC measurements more broadly accessible to the medical profession.