Interpretation of Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTS) : Anna Neumeier, MD

INTERPRETATION OF PULMONARY FUNCTION
TESTS (PFTS)
Anna Neumeier, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine
ACP
February 2020
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Describe the clinical indications for pulmonary function testing

2. Understand the physiology of the core pulmonary function tests:
spirometry, lung volumes and DLCO
3. Apply an organized approach to interpreting pulmonary function
tests
4. Identify obstructive, restrictive, mixed obstructive-restrictive and
pulmonary vascular patterns of abnormalities on pulmonary
function testing.
INDICATIONS FOR PFTS
• Evaluation of patients presenting with dyspnea

• Evaluating disease severity and monitoring response to treatment
• Determine fitness for surgery
• *thoracic surgery/lung resection
PFTS: AVAILABLE MEASURES
• Spirometry
• Airflow (how much air, how fast)
• (Static) Lung volumes
• Volume (how much air)
• Diffusing Capacity/DLCO
• Gas exchange (how effective)
• Other testing:
• Airway responsiveness
• Respiratory muscle strength testing
• Compliance of the lungs
A PHYSIOLOGY REFRESHER:
LUNG VOLUMES AND CAPACITIES
Al-Askhar. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2003
AN APPROACH TO PFT
INTERPRETATION
STEP 1: CONFIRM PATIENT
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
DEFINING NORMAL AND ABNORMAL VALUES
• Interpretation involves comparison of the patient’s values with

reference values (Crapo Hsu, NHANES III, GLI)
• Dependent on age, sex, race and ethnicity, height
• African Americans have values that are 12% lower than Caucasians
• Threshold for Normal
• 80-120% predicted
• age-adjusted LLN
(lower limits of normal)
DEFINING OBSTRUCTION WITH FEV1/FVC RATIO:
FIXED 0.7 CUT-OFF VS. AGE-ADJUSTED LLN
STEP II: IS THE TEST OF ADEQUATE
QUALITY?
Acceptability and
Reproducibility
ACCEPTABILITY
1 2 3 4
Free from Free from leaks Good start Good Effort
artifacts (cough,
glottic closure)
Examine the flow volume loop and the flow time

curve
AJRCCM.1994
REPRODUCIBILITY
3 acceptable
maneuvers with at
least 2 that are
repeatable within
0.15L of each other
(0.1L if FVC<1L)
AJRCCM.1994
STEP III: FLOW VOLUME LOOPS
Obstructive Restrictive
Disease Disease
Extrathoracic Fixed airflow

airflow obstruction
obstruction
STEP IV: INTERPRET THE PFTS WITH A
SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
Recognize the pattern and classify

the severity of abnormality
• Asthma
Obstructive
• COPD (emphysema, chronic
FEV1/FVC <0.7 bronchitis)
(or <LLN) • Bronchiolitis/Bronchiectasis
• Interstitial lung disease

PATTERNS OF Restrictive • Neuromuscular weakness
DISEASE WITH FEV1/FVC • Pleural disease
reduced with low
PFTS lung volumes*
• Chest wall deformities
• Obesity
• Both obstructive and restrictive

Mixed elements
Obstructive Restrictive
Pattern Pattern
Forced Vital Decreased or Decreased
Capacity (FVC) normal
Forced Expiratory Decreased Decreased or
Volume in 1 second normal
(FEV1)
FEV1/FVC ratio Decreased Normal
Total Lung Capacity Normal or Decreased
Increased
Step 1: Is there
obstruction?
Step 2: how severe is

the obstruction?
Step 3: Is there
response to
bronchodilator?
Step 4: Interpret lung

volumes
Full lung volumes are

necessary to assess
whether restriction is Look at additional
present supplemental testing
(DLCO, walk testing,
bronchoprovocation)

BRONCHODILATOR RESPONSE
• Improvement in FEV1 or FVC by 12% and 200cc

• Normalization of spirometry after bronchodilator supports
the diagnosis of asthma
• The lack of BD response does not preclude a clinical
response to bronchodilator therapy
CASES
CASE 1:
A 29 y/o woman presents to your clinic with episodes of shortness of breath, chest
tightness and wheezing during the springtime. You interpret her PFTs as:
a. Normal spirometry and lung volumes
b. Obstructive pattern
c. Restrictive pattern
d. Mixed obstructive restrictive pattern
CASE 1:
Normal
Normal- no obstruction
Normal
A 29 y/o woman presents to your clinic with episodes of shortness of breath, chest
tightness and wheezing during the spring time. You interpret her PFTs as:
CASE 1 CONTINUED:
Based on these lung function tests, your suspicion that this patient has asthma is:
a. Decreased, normal lung function test rules out asthma
b. Unchanged, her clinical history is suggestive and many patients with asthma
have normal spirometry
c. I can’t tell as a bronchodilator response was not assessed
PFTS TO EVALUATE FOR ASTHMA
• Spirometry both pre- and post-bronchodilator

• Bronchodilator response supports diagnosis
• Normal spirometry does not exclude a diagnosis of asthma
• Additional steps to assess for asthma:
• Bronchoprovocation testing (methacholine challenge)
• High-negative predictive value
• Empiric therapy
• Evaluation for asthma mimickers and look at flow volume loop
CASE 2: A 67 Y/O MAN WITH COUGH
CASE 2:
You interpret his PFTs as:

CASE 2:
You interpret his PFTs as:

CASE 2 CONTINUED:
All of the following conditions could be causes of his

restrictive lung disease except:
a. Interstitial lung disease
b. Pleural effusions
c. Kyphoscoliosis
d. Neuromuscular weakness
e. Obesity
CASE 2 CONTINUED:
All of the following conditions could be causes of his

restrictive lung disease except:
a. Interstitial lung disease
b. Pleural effusions
c. Kyphoscoliosis
d. Neuromuscular weakness
e. Obesity
LUNG VOLUMES- PATTERNS TO DIFFERENTIATE RESTRICTIVE
DISEASE
Cause of Restriction Pattern of lung volume

abnormality
Intrinsic Lung Disease Low VC and low RV
(interstitial lung disease,
pulmonary fibrosis)
Neuromuscular Disease Low VC and high RV

Chest wall restriction Low VC and low RV
(kyphoscoliosis)
Obesity Low FRC and low ERV
CASE 3: A 77 Y/O MAN WITH DYSPNEA AND HYPOXEMIA
CASE 3
• You interpret these PFTs as:

CASE 3: A 77 Y/O MAN WITH DYSPNEA AND HYPOXEMIA
Severity of Airflow
Obstruction:
FEV1 >80%- mild
FEV1 50-80%- moderate
FEV1 30- 50% severe
FEV1 <30% very severe
CASE 3
• You interpret these PFTs as:

LUNG VOLUMES: HYPERINFLATION AND AIR
TRAPPING
Hyperinflation= TLC>120%
Air trapping with RV>140%

CASE 4
• A 76 y/o man presents with hypoxemia, you order PFTs

which show:
CASE 4
• The PFTs show:

CASE 4
• The PFTs show:

STEP IV: ADDITIONAL TESTS:
DLCO
BRONCHOPROVOCATION
WALK TESTING
MEASURING GAS EXCHANGE: DLCO
Transfer of CO from
alveoli to blood is
diffusion limited:
CO binds hemoglobin 210

times more efficiently
than O2 and normally
very low concentration in
blood
Thus, limited by surface

area, membrane
thickness & blood
flow/Hb
USE OF DLCO
• Restrictive Disease
• Low- intrinsic disease (parenchymal lung disease)
• Normal- extraparenchymal causes of restriction (obesity,
neuromuscular disease, chest wall limitations)
• Obstructive Disease
• Low- emphysema
• Normal- asthma
• Isolated reduction in DLCO--> raises possibility of
pulmonary vascular disease
CAUSES OF REDUCED DLCO
Decreased surface area- Increased membrane thickness-

Emphysema Fibrosis
Decreased pulmonary blood volume

AIRWAY RESPONSIVENESS
• Methacholine Challenge
• Obtain baseline FEV1
• Administer bronchoconstrictive agent, methacholine, at
incremental doses until FEV1 drops by 20% or reach maximal dose
(16mg/ml)
• Nebulize methacholine x2 min each dose then measure FEV1 at 30
and 90 sec after
• PC20 < 4mg/ml consistent with asthma (<1mg/ml is severe)
• PC20 >16mg/ml does not have asthma
ATS Guidelines, July 1999

EXERCISE CAPACITY TESTING, THE
6MWT
SIX MINUTE WALK TEST
• Measures exercise capacity NOT oxygen titration

• Used for:
• Pulmonary rehab
• Pulmonary hypertension response to advanced therapies
• Prognostication in IPF
• BODE index
• If you want to determine if your patient needs oxygen with
exercise, order an oxygen titration study
SUMMARY
1 2 3
PFTs are valuable Approach PFTs provide a
tests for evaluating interpretation with a pattern of
symptoms of systematic approach physiologic
dyspnea impairment but do
not make a diagnosis
QUESTIONS/ ADDITIONAL PRACTICE
CASES:
[email protected]
https://depts.washington.edu/uwmedres/Library/eLea
rning/Pulmonary/

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What are the indications for pulmonary function testing?

What are the indications for pulmonary function testing?

What are the core pulmonary function tests that are discussed?

What are the core pulmonary function tests that are discussed?

INTERPRETATION OF PULMONARY FUNCTION

1. Describe the clinical indications for pulmonary function testing

• Evaluation of patients presenting with dyspnea

• Interpretation involves comparison of the patient’s values with

Examine the flow volume loop and the flow time

Extrathoracic Fixed airflow

Recognize the pattern and classify

• Interstitial lung disease

• Both obstructive and restrictive

Step 2: how severe is

Step 4: Interpret lung

Full lung volumes are

Al-Askhar. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2003

• Improvement in FEV1 or FVC by 12% and 200cc

• Spirometry both pre- and post-bronchodilator

You interpret his PFTs as:

You interpret his PFTs as:

All of the following conditions could be causes of his

All of the following conditions could be causes of his

Cause of Restriction Pattern of lung volume

Neuromuscular Disease Low VC and high RV

• You interpret these PFTs as:

• You interpret these PFTs as:

Air trapping with RV>140%

• A 76 y/o man presents with hypoxemia, you order PFTs

• The PFTs show:

• The PFTs show:

CO binds hemoglobin 210

Thus, limited by surface

Decreased surface area- Increased membrane thickness-

Decreased pulmonary blood volume

ATS Guidelines, July 1999

• Measures exercise capacity NOT oxygen titration

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