The role of body plethysmography in modern respiratory diagnostics: a literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14739/mmt.2026.1.342807Keywords:
body plethysmography, spirometry, airway resistance, lung hyperinflation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, asthma, small airways, bronchodilator response, COVID-19Abstract
Aim. To systematize current knowledge on the methodological principles of body plethysmography, summarize data on reference parameters, and analyze recent trends of its application in the diagnosis of respiratory diseases.
Materials and methods. A literature search and selection of scientific sources were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library, as well as in Ukrainian databases, including the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Medical Scientific Index (UMSI). The analysis included publications mainly from the last five years (2020–2025) covering methodological, normative, and clinical aspects of body plethysmography. Original studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical guidelines, and position statements of ERS, ATS, and GOLD were analyzed.
Results. Body plethysmography has demonstrated high accuracy and reproducibility in measuring lung volumes and airway resistance parameters. Airway resistance indices show higher sensitivity compared to spirometric parameters in detecting bronchial obstruction, airway hyperreactivity, and treatment response. The combination of changes in specific airway conductance and functional residual capacity is a more sensitive method for assessing bronchial obstruction reversibility than changes in forced expiratory volume in one second. Body plethysmography is valuable for diagnosing small airway disease, an early component in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma, and interstitial lung diseases, which may remain undetected by standard spirometry. The method enables identification of the “air trapping” phenomenon and lung hyperinflation, which are essential for patient phenotyping within the “treatable traits” concept. In the post-COVID period, body plethysmography is effective for assessing restrictive changes, the degree of hyperinflation, and recovery dynamics of lung function.
Conclusions. Body plethysmography is the “gold standard” of noninvasive lung function assessment, providing a comprehensive evaluation of lung volumes and airway resistance. The method is important for early diagnosis, personalized treatment approaches, and monitoring of patients with chronic respiratory diseases, including long-COVID.
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