Pulmonary function was investigated in 31 consecutive patients with relatively severe Parkinson's disease. Clinical disability was assessed by Hoehn and Yahr scale, Northwestern University Disability Scale and Websterscore. All patients were on levodopa substitution therapy and used anticholinergics. Pulmonary function was investigated by spirography, determination of a maximal inspiratory and ...

Background: To determine whether a child has asthma exacerbation, we should obtain the value of peak expiratory fl ow. It is useful in a diagnostic procedure, in evaluation of response to therapy and following the course of asthma. The context and purpose of the study: On the basis of published relations between body height and peak expiratory fl ow in children I developed a formula for calcula...

Diseases affecting pulmonary mechanics often result in changes to the coordination of swallow and breathing. We hypothesize that during times of increased intrathoracic pressure, swallow suppresses ongoing expiratory drive to ensure bolus transport through the esophagus. To this end, we sought to determine the effects of swallow on abdominal electromyographic (EMG) activity during expiratory th...

Forced expiratory volumes and flows (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal expiratory flow at 25% (MEF25%), 50% (MEF50%) and 75% (MEF75%) of the FVC) have been measured in 909 healthy nonsmoking men and women, ranging in age from 18-86 yrs, who live on Eastern Adriatic islands (Yugoslavia). This area is essentially free fr...

Inspiratory lung crackles are a diagnostic feature of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, but expiratory crackles are not well documented. In a phonopneumographic study of 13 patients with fibrosing alveolitis, expiratory crackles were audible with the stethoscope in 12. Phonopneumographic analysis of these 12 patients showed the crackles to be fine with the initial wave deflection of the expirato...

BACKGROUND Minor differences in technique may account for the wide range of published normal values of maximum expiratory and inspiratory pressures. The effects of holding the lips while the subject performed a maximal expiratory pressure manoeuvre were investigated in this study. METHODS Maximum static expiratory pressures (PEmax) obtained with a cylindrical tube by means of lip compression ...

Accessible online at: www.karger.com/res ‘Flow limitation’ is an expression classically used to indicate that there is a reduction in the maximal expiratory flows that may be attained during the forced vital capacity (FVC) maneuver. It is measured from the ratio FEV1/VC, which dates back to Tiffeneau, where FEV1 is the forced expiratory volume in the first second and VC is the slow expiratory v...