TY - JOUR
T1 - Moment analysis of multibreath nitrogen washout in young children
AU - Wall, M. A.
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - The purpose of this study was to determine whether online computerized moment analysis of multibreath N2 washout (MBNW) could be used as a method of estimating lung function in children too young to cooperate with routine pulmonary function testing. The limits of normal variability were determined from results obtained from duplicate studies performed on 36 healthy children ages 3-6 yr. Five healthy adults were studied for comparison. Test sensitivity was estimated by comparing the results in the healthy group to those of 10 age-matched children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Outcome variables of interest included functional residual capacity, the first-to-zeroth moment ratio (M1/M0), the second-to-zeroth moment ratio (M2/M0), and the lung clearance index. Test precision in the healthy group was high with the intrasubject coefficient of variation for all variables being <10%. There was no difference in mean within- or among-subject variability between the healthy children and the older, theoretically more cooperative, healthy adults. Mean M1/M0 and M2/M0 were both higher in CF than in the healthy group, 2.69 vs. 2.32 and 13.04 vs. 9.31, respectively (P<0.001). Moment ratios in CF showed good negative correlations with Shwachman scores; thus those CF patients with the most advanced lung disease had the highest moment ratios and vice versa. Moment analysis of MBNW has promise as a means of quantifying lung function in young children, since the method is noninvasive, low in inherent variability, requires only quiet breathing, and has the sensitivity required to detect rather mild ventilation inhomogeneity.
AB - The purpose of this study was to determine whether online computerized moment analysis of multibreath N2 washout (MBNW) could be used as a method of estimating lung function in children too young to cooperate with routine pulmonary function testing. The limits of normal variability were determined from results obtained from duplicate studies performed on 36 healthy children ages 3-6 yr. Five healthy adults were studied for comparison. Test sensitivity was estimated by comparing the results in the healthy group to those of 10 age-matched children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Outcome variables of interest included functional residual capacity, the first-to-zeroth moment ratio (M1/M0), the second-to-zeroth moment ratio (M2/M0), and the lung clearance index. Test precision in the healthy group was high with the intrasubject coefficient of variation for all variables being <10%. There was no difference in mean within- or among-subject variability between the healthy children and the older, theoretically more cooperative, healthy adults. Mean M1/M0 and M2/M0 were both higher in CF than in the healthy group, 2.69 vs. 2.32 and 13.04 vs. 9.31, respectively (P<0.001). Moment ratios in CF showed good negative correlations with Shwachman scores; thus those CF patients with the most advanced lung disease had the highest moment ratios and vice versa. Moment analysis of MBNW has promise as a means of quantifying lung function in young children, since the method is noninvasive, low in inherent variability, requires only quiet breathing, and has the sensitivity required to detect rather mild ventilation inhomogeneity.
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U2 - 10.1152/jappl.1985.59.1.274
DO - 10.1152/jappl.1985.59.1.274
M3 - Article
C2 - 4030574
AN - SCOPUS:0021931814
VL - 59
SP - 274
EP - 279
JO - Journal of Applied Physiology
JF - Journal of Applied Physiology
SN - 8750-7587
IS - 1
ER -