[Respiratory mechanics in animals. 1. Physiological bases and conventional measurement methods--review]

Clinical diagnosis of respiratory illness can be usefully supported by pulmonary function testing. Whilst cases of overt respiratory disease may be relatively easily detected, subclinical disorders present the clinician with a major diagnostic challenge. Analysis of respiratory mechanics improves information about functional lung disturbances. Furthermore, these tests facilitate the diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory diseases. In contrast to human medicine, only a small number of lung function tests which do not require patient cooperation are applicable to animals. In this paper, conventional tests of respiratory mechanics are summarised which could be used in animals. These sophisticated techniques can only be used in specialised laboratories. Unfortunately, they remain difficult to apply in veterinary practice.