Abstract
The ineffectiveness of cough in cystic fibrosis (CF) has been attributed to the viscosity of the bronchial secretions. In the present study, the contribution of abnormal lung mechanics to airway obstruction was investigated in 13 patients with CF, using 8 normal subjects and 10 asthmatics as controls. Instantaneous changes in lung volume, air flow and esophageal pressure were measured and simultaneous flow-volume and flow-pressure curves recorded. Striking differences were noted between asthma and CF: 1. below 95 % of the total lung capacity, pressures in excess of those required to produce maximum expiratory flow rates depressed flow in CF but not in asthma; 2. forced expiration was associated with a transient reversal in the slope of the single breath nitrogen curve in CF and not in asthma. Cineradiographic evidence of collapse of bronchiectatic airways during forced expiration and cough with retention of contrast medium distal to the collapse was provided. It is concluded that in CF: 1. airway obstruction is less uniform and involves larger airways than in asthma; 2. increased expiratory pressure collapses larger airways. This study emphasizes the necessity of combining postural drainage with liquefaction of bronchial secretions in CF. (SPR)
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Mellins, R., Levine, O., Fishman, A. et al. 7 Airway Obstruction in Cystic Fibrosis. Pediatr Res 1, 201–202 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-196705000-00014
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-196705000-00014