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Editorial
Measurement of lung function in preschool children using the interrupter technique
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  1. P D Sly1,
  2. E Lombardi2
  1. 1TVW Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
  2. 2Paediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Centre, “Anna Meyer” Children’s Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, University of Florence, 50132 Florence, Italy
  1. Correspondence to:
    Professor P D Sly, TVW Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia;
    peters{at}ichr.uwa.edu.au

https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax.58.9.742

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    The measurement of airway resistance using the interrupter technique shows considerable promise for assessing lung function in children of preschool age. However, proper attention must be paid to the assumptions that underlie the technique, and appropriate consideration of the effect of the measurement conditions on these assumptions is important for producing reliable data.

    Measurement of lung function forms an important part of the clinical assessment and management of older children and adults with lung diseases. Our knowledge about the normal pattern of growth and development of the lungs and the effects of aging comes largely from measuring pulmonary function. While these measurements form a routine part of the life of most clinicians, there has been an age limit below which such information has not been available. Measurement of lung function in preschool children has recently generated much interest with the publication of a number of studies reporting the use of various techniques.1–6 Lung function can be difficult to measure in preschool children and is prone to an increased failure rate1 and increased variability. Two recent papers published in Thorax5,6 describing measurements of airway resistance using the interrupter technique (Rint) deal with the important issue of repeatability of the measurement and variability over time. These issues must be addressed before measurements of Rint can be recommended for routine clinical use in children of preschool age.

    PRINCIPLES OF THE INTERRUPTER TECHNIQUE

    The interrupter technique is not new; it was first described by Neergard and Wirz7 in 1927 and was used widely in the 1940s and 1950s8–10 before being largely discarded because it was not clear exactly what it was measuring. The advent of modern computers has allowed a thorough examination of the interrupter technique and an understanding of the physiology underlying the measurements.11–16 The basic assumption underlying …

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