Impulse oscillometry: a measure for airway obstruction.

The impulse oscillometry system (IOS) was introduced as a new technique to assess airflow obstruction in patients who are not able to perform forced breathing maneuvers, e.g., subjects with cerebral palsy or severe mental retardation, and young children. This study evaluates the sensitivity and specificity of IOS parameters to quantify changes in airflow obstruction in comparison with forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements. Measurements of FEV(1), PEF, and resistance (R) and reactance (X) at frequencies of 5-35 Hz were performed in 19 children with asthma before, during, and after methacholine challenge and subsequent bronchodilatation. All parameters changed significantly during tests. Values of R5 and R10 correlated with FEV(1) (r = -0.71 and -0.73, respectively, P < 0.001), as did values of X5 and X10 (r = 0.52 and 0.57, respectively, P < 0.01). Changes in R preceded changes in PEF and FEV(1) during methacholine challenge. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to predict a 15% fall in FEV(1) showed better sensitivity and specificity for R5 (area under the curve, 0.85) compared to PEF (0.79) or R10 (0.73). We conclude that IOS parameters can be easily used as an indirect measure of airflow obstruction. This might be helpful in patients who are not able to perform forced breathing maneuvers. In individual subjects, R values measured at 5 Hz showed to be superior to PEF measurements in the detection of a 15% fall in FEV(1). Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.