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A method to determine in vivo, specific airway compliance, in humans

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Abstract

In order to understand the pathophysiology of diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it is essential to measure the mechanical properties of the airways. Currently, there are no methods to measure and quantify in vivo airway compliance in humans. In order to develop a method, we generated a curve-fitting algorithm that combines airway diameter measurements by high resolution computed tomography with pressure–volume curves obtained by the esophageal balloon technique. Our method allows the description of diameter–pressure curves for airways of varying size, presented as a 3D surface, from which specific airway compliance can be determined at any transpulmonary pressure. Applying this method to data from two healthy subjects, we found that small airways are more compliant than large airways and specific airway compliance was greatest at low transpulmonary pressures. In conclusion, our 3D surface is a useful tool to measure and quantify in vivo specific airway compliance in humans.

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Fig. 1
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Abbreviations

D :

Airway lumen diameter

FRC:

Functional residual capacity

TLC:

Total lung capacity

MID:

Volume midway between TLC and FRC, FRC + (TLC − FRC)/2

P el :

Lung elastic pressure

V :

Lung volume

FRC:

Measurements at FRC

MID:

Measurements at the MID volume

TLC:

Measurements at TLC

n:

Normalized measurement

P–V :

Pressure–volume

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the Co-operative Research Council for Asthma and Airways, NHMRC Project Grant 512387, NHMRC Scholarship 521808 and The Neil and Norma Hill Asthma Foundation of NSW Grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Vanessa J. Kelly & Bruce R. Thompson

  2. Co-operative Research Centre for Asthma and Airways, Glebe, NSW, Australia

    Vanessa J. Kelly, Nathan J. Brown, Gregory G. King & Bruce R. Thompson

  3. The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Glebe, NSW, Australia

    Vanessa J. Kelly, Nathan J. Brown & Gregory G. King

  4. The Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, The Alfred, Commercial Rd, Prahran, VIC, Australia

    Vanessa J. Kelly & Bruce R. Thompson

  5. The Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia

    Gregory G. King

Authors
  1. Vanessa J. Kelly
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  2. Nathan J. Brown
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  3. Gregory G. King
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  4. Bruce R. Thompson
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Correspondence to Bruce R. Thompson.

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Kelly, V.J., Brown, N.J., King, G.G. et al. A method to determine in vivo, specific airway compliance, in humans. Med Biol Eng Comput 48, 489–496 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-010-0576-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-010-0576-3

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