[Assessment of respiratory function by body plethysmography (author's transl)]

The assessment of respiratory function by means of body plethysmography is particulary important in obstructive respiratory disorders. The conventional interpretation considered the bronchial resistance to be a relation between the alpha- and beta-slopes. The individual examination of these factors under work stress, histamine challenge and hexoprenaline broncholysis shows that the changes in the resistance will mainly be dependent on the beta-slope, even in the presence of a paradox response of the alpha-slope and, therefore, a reverse change in the intrathoracic gas volume. Therefore the beta-slope alone can be used to give satisfactory information about the bronchial resistance as an alternative method or, in the case of any difficulty in getting an airway shutter slope, for example, in paediatrics.