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Evaluation of the interrupter technique for the use of assessing airway obstruction in children

E R Carter1, A A Stecenko, B H Pollock

  • 1Division of Pulmonary Diseases, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.

Pediatric Pulmonology
|April 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

The interrupter technique effectively assesses airway obstruction in children, correlating well with standard pulmonary function tests like FEV1 and FEF25-75. This noninvasive method shows promise for evaluating airway resistance in pediatric respiratory conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Physiology
  • Noninvasive Diagnostic Techniques

Background:

  • Assessing airway obstruction in children is crucial for diagnosing and managing respiratory diseases.
  • Traditional methods for measuring airway resistance can be invasive or difficult to perform in pediatric populations.
  • The interrupter technique offers a potentially simpler, noninvasive alternative for evaluating airflow resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of the interrupter technique in assessing airway obstruction in children.
  • To correlate measurements from the interrupter technique with established pulmonary function tests.
  • To compare the interrupter technique's ability to detect changes in airway resistance with body plethysmography.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted a study involving 107 children (74 with asthma, 12 with cystic fibrosis, 21 healthy).
  • Measured airway conductance (Gint) using the interrupter technique and correlated it with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and FEF25-75.
  • In 17 asthmatic children, compared airway resistance measured by the interrupter technique (Rint) with body plethysmography (Raw) before and after treatment.

Main Results:

  • High linear correlations were observed between interrupter technique conductance (Gint) and FEV1 (r=0.77 for expiratory, r=0.76 for inspiratory).
  • Good linear correlations were found between Gint and FEF25-75 (r=0.70 for expiratory, r=0.67 for inspiratory).
  • Interrupter technique resistance (Rint) showed strong correlation with body plethysmography resistance (Raw) in asthmatic children (r=0.91 for expiratory, r=0.83 for inspiratory), with similar pre- to post-treatment changes.

Conclusions:

  • The interrupter technique is a valid and reliable method for assessing airway obstruction in children.
  • Measurements of airway resistance and conductance using the interrupter technique correlate well with standard pulmonary function tests.
  • This noninvasive technique can effectively monitor changes in airway obstruction, making it a valuable tool in pediatric respiratory care.

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