ArticleDeutsches Arzteblatt international2015
Whole-Body Plethysmography in Suspected Asthma: A Prospective Study of Its Added Diagnostic Value in 302 Patients.
Article in Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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9 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- An Internet-Based Asthma Self-Management Program Increases Knowledge About Asthma.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2020Trial
- Correlation Between Body Plethysmography and Impulse Oscillometry Across Obstructive and Restrictive Lung Diseases: Evidence from an Adult Pilot Study Cohort.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of FeNO in asthma and predictive value for inhaled corticosteroid responsiveness: A prospective, multicentre study.EClinicalMedicine · 2022Article
- Article
- Capnovolumetry in combination with clinical history for the diagnosis of asthma and COPD.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2020Article
- In Reply.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2016Article
- Added Value Is Still Unclear.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2016Article
- The Authors' Reasoning Is Impossible to Follow.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2016Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhole-body plethysmography (WBP) with bronchial challenge testing to measure the (specific) airway resistance, (s)R(AW), is considered to be a more sensitive diagnostic procedure than spirometry, which can only measure the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). The evidence for the added diagnostic value of WBP is not yet conclusive.
methodsIn a prospective diagnostic study, we carried out WBP with bronchial challenge testing as well as a bronchodilation test in 400 patients with suspected asthma from June 2010 to October 2011. The bronchial provocation test was considered positive if the FEV1 fell by at least 20% and/or the airway resistance doubled, with an increase of the sR(AW) to at least 2.0 kPA × s and/or of the R(AW) to 0.5 kPA × s/L. Follow-up evaluation was performed one year later.
resultsThe prevalence of asthma in the 302 patients who completed follow-up was 27.5%. The sensitivity of WBP with sR(AW) measurement for asthma was 95.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 88.3%-98.1%), and its specificity was 81.7% (95% CI 76.1%-86.3%). The sensitivity of FEV1 was 44.6% (95% CI 34.4%-55.3%), and its specificity was 91.3% (95% CI 86.6%-94.4%). The negative predictive value (NPV) of WBP with sR(AW) measurement was 97.8% (95% CI 94.5%-99.1%), while that of FEV1 was 81.3% (95% CI 76.0%-85.7%). The positive predictive value (PPV) of WBP with sR(AW) measurement was 66.4% (95% CI 57.5%-74.2%), while that of FEV1 was 66.1% (95% CI 53.0%-77.1%).
conclusionWith sR(AW) measurement, asthma can be ruled out with high certainty. Improving the positive predictive value of testing for asthma remains a challenge, however, as sR(AW) measurement does not yield any increase in specificity.
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