PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Stoller, James K.
TI  - Spirometry: a key diagnostic test in pulmonary medicine
DP  - 1992 Jan 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - 75--78
VI  - 59
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/59/1/75.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/59/1/75.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med1992 Jan 01; 59
AB  - Spirometry is a simple and informative test for evaluating airflow obstruction. Measurements from a forced expiratory maneuver are conventionally displayed as volume vs time (spirogram) and flow vs volume (flow-volume loop) tracings. Spirometric measurements like the forced expiratory volume in 1 second inform about the degree of airflow obstruction, whereas the flow-volume loop helps identify the presence and anatomic location of upper airway obstruction, which may mimic symptoms of obstructive lung disease. As a simple, inexpensive, and informative test, spirometry should be used liberally in assessing patients with respiratory symptoms.