Lung Function Tests in Preschool Children

Abstract

The measurement of lung function by spirometry is routinely used to monitor and adequately treat children with asthma. The assessment and evaluation of lung function in children aged 3-5 years has been neglected for a long time because of the difficulty to perform forced expiratory maneuvers. However, the use of techniques such as the interrupter technique and the forced oscillation technique, which only require passive collaboration and where the only request to the child is to breathe at tidal volume, has overcome this limitation. Other techniques such as the measurement of specific airway resistance by plethysmography or the measurement of the lung clearance index using the multiple-breath washout might be helpful in this regard, although these techniques are less standardized in preschool children.

Keywords: Preschool; forced oscillations; interrupter; specific airway resistance; washout.