A measured breath: new techniques in pulmonary imaging and diagnosis.

The development by Dr. Hans Pasterkamp and his team at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, of computer software for acoustic imaging of the chest originated in the need for a noninvasive, nonthreatening way to obtain information about lung function and lung disease in infants and children. Pasterkamp's team is developing a single computer program with potential applications in three areas: the measurement of lung sounds in addition to lung function, the multiple-site mapping of chest sounds to help identify the site of disease, and the assessment of upper airways, with potential use in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Computer-assisted acoustic imaging promises to augment and enhance more traditional methods of pulmonary testing.