TY - JOUR T1 - Oscillometry complements spirometry in evaluation of subjects following toxic inhalation JF - ERJ Open Research JO - erjor DO - 10.1183/23120541.00043-2015 VL - 1 IS - 2 SP - 00043-2015 AU - Kenneth I. Berger AU - Meredith Turetz AU - Mengling Liu AU - Yongzhao Shao AU - Angeliki Kazeros AU - Sam Parsia AU - Caralee Caplan-Shaw AU - Stephen M. Friedman AU - Carey B. Maslow AU - Michael Marmor AU - Roberta M. Goldring AU - Joan Reibman Y1 - 2015/10/01 UR - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/1/2/00043-2015.abstract N2 - The World Trade Center (WTC) destruction released dust and fumes into the environment. Although many community members developed respiratory symptoms, screening spirometry was usually normal. We hypothesised that forced oscillation testing would identify functional abnormalities undetected by spirometry and that symptom severity would relate to magnitude of abnormalities measured by oscillometry.A symptomatic cohort (n=848) from the Bellevue Hospital WTC Environmental Health Center was evaluated and compared to an asymptomatic cohort (n=475) from the New York City Department of Health WTC Health Registry. Spirometry and oscillometry were performed. Oscillometry measurements included resistance (R5) and frequency dependence of resistance (R5−20).Spirometry was normal for the majority of subjects (73.2% symptomatic versus 87.6% asymptomatic, p<0.0001). In subjects with normal spirometry, R5 and R5−20 were higher in symptomatic versus asymptomatic subjects (median (interquartile range) R5 0.436 (0.206) versus 0.314 (0.129) kPa·L−1·s−1, p<0.001; R5−20 0.075 (0.085) versus 0.004 (0.042) kPa·L−1·s−1, p<0.0001). In symptomatic subjects, R5 and R5−20 increased with increasing severity and frequency of wheeze (p<0.05).Measurement of R5–20 correlated with the presence and severity of symptoms even when spirometry was within normal limits. These findings are in accord with small airway abnormalities as a potential explanation of the respiratory symptoms.Small airway dysfunction in a symptomatic population with normal spirometry years after exposure to WTC dust http://ow.ly/TAxxf ER -