Pulmonary function and bronchial challenge testing in office and hospital practice.

Pulmonary function and provocation testing in the office or the small hospital is now justifiable, cost-effective and necessary for the optimal management of patients with pulmonary disease. These tests provide the only way to assess lung function objectively, they are helpful in the development of an optimal and rational plan of therapy, and they offer an effective means to evaluate the adequacy of treatment and follow-up. It is fortunate that the relatively simple and cheap test of spirometry can provide most of the information needed for the evaluation of patients with lung disease, and it is also the test which can indicate whether airway obstruction develops during bronchial provocations or in the work environment.