Can optoelectronic plethysmography be used to evaluate the thoracoabdominal kinematics of people with morbidly obesity? A systematic review

•Optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP) is used to assess the thoracoabdominal kinematics of healthy individuals.•Chest and abdominal fat excess could compromise the evaluation by OEP.•Thoracoabdominal kinematics of people with obesity, with a BMI of up to 50 kg/m2, can be assessed by OEP. Optoelectronic Plethysmography (OEP) is an effective method for evaluating thoracoabdominal kinematics. However, little is known about the viability and use the OEP in people with obesity. Summarize information on the use and feasibility of OEP in the assessment of thoracoabdominal kinematics in people with obesity. Studies were identified through PubMed, EMBASE, Science Direct, Web of Science and Scopus databases in the February 2021. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies used the OEP to assess abdominal and thoracic mobility in obese people of different BMI, using the default setting. No study reported the impossibility of using OEP in people with obesity. Has been shown that it is possible to use the OEP in people with obesity with a BMI of up to 50 kg/m2. More studies are needed to demonstrate the feasibility of the method in people with a BMI greater than this value.