Correlation of the Ratio of Upper Third to Lower Third Circumferences of the Chest with Obstructive Pattern in Spirometry

Obstructive Lung Diseases (OLDs), could lead to progressive hyperinflation of the lungs that cause increased work of breathing, impaired gas exchanges and functional limitations in patients. In this study, thoracic circumference of patients in upper and lower third were measured directly and the association of the upper to lower third width of chest with spirometric parameters was evaluated. In this cross-sectional study, five hundred twenty nine consecutive patients, with obstructive pattern in spirometry (FEV1/FEVC 0.9, UTCC and LTCC had significant correlation with FEV1 (R: 0.07, 0.051). UTCC/LTCC ratio > 0.8, may be a predictor of obstructive pattern in patients. This is more important in some occations, for example during preoprative evaluation of a patient in an emergency conditions which there is no enough time for performing appropriate diagnostic tests such as spirometry to reveal the type and severity of obstructive pulmonary diseases.