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World J Respirol. Nov 28, 2014; 4(3): 19-25
Published online Nov 28, 2014. doi: 10.5320/wjr.v4.i3.19
Pitfalls in spirometry: Clinical relevance
Andrea Antonelli, Giulia Michela Pellegrino, Giuseppe Francesco Sferrazza Papa, Riccardo Pellegrino
Andrea Antonelli, Riccardo Pellegrino, Allergologia e Fisiopatologia Respiratoria, ASO S. Croce e Carle, 12100 Cuneo, Italy
Giulia Michela Pellegrino, Giuseppe Francesco Sferrazza Papa, U.O. Pneumologia, Ospedale San Paolo, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this paper.
Correspondence to: Andrea Antonelli, MD, Allergologia e Fisiopatologia Respiratoria, ASO S. Croce e Carle, Via M. Coppino 26, 12100 Cuneo, Italy. antonelli.a@ospedale.cuneo.it
Telephone: +39-01-71616728 Fax: +39-01-71616495
Received: September 18, 2014
Revised: October 21, 2014
Accepted: November 7, 2014
Published online: November 28, 2014
Processing time: 70 Days and 13.8 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Spirometry is usually taken as a marker of the disease and its progression independently of the condition. In the present review we partly challenge this notion by examining the role of different obstructive and restrictive lung diseases on a series of mechanisms that strongly affect the main spirometric parameters. Among them is thoracic gas compression volume, the volume and time history of the inspiratory manoeuvre that precedes the forced expiration, the effects of heterogeneous distribution of the disease across the respiratory system, and the changes in lung elastic recoil.