Practical interest in the detection of functional abnormalities in infants and children with lung disease.

There are new techniques which have been developed in order to assess objective functional data concerning the severity and type of abnormalities in infants and children with lung disease. In the present review some applications of the various techniques are given in connection with deductions, which can be based on such functional findings. Insight into the mechanisms leading to lung disease and the institution of appropriate therapeutic guidelines largely depend on whether the degree of pulmonary hyperinflation or restriction, of bronchial obstruction, of bronchial hyperreactivity, of ventilation inequalities and the function of gas exchange can be objectively evaluated. Recent advances in the non-invasive assessment of lung function in infants and children promises progress in this task.