Respiratory Function Testing
Lung Function Testing in Young Patients
Making an accurate diagnosis
An accurate diagnosis is essential to ensure your child receives the most effective treatment. To diagnose and manage a child’s respiratory disease, NewYork-Presbyterian offers respiratory function testing: painless and noninvasive tests that assess various aspects of lung function including:
- The size of the lungs
- The speed and force with which air leaves the lungs
- How well oxygen crosses from the lungs into the blood vessels
- Changes in a child’s lung function over time or during ongoing therapy, or his or her immediate response to medications for asthma
Our Approach to Care
At NewYork-Presbyterian, we perform the least invasive lung function testing needed to determine the cause of your child's breathing difficulties. Armed with the results of this testing, we customize a plan of care to relieve your child's symptoms.
How do we assess lung function?
We perform the full range of pulmonary function tests and diagnostic procedures, including:
Spirometry, which enables us to measure the force of a child’s breath.
Impulse oscillometry, a test to assess airflow obstruction in children who are not able to perform a forced breathing test.
Exercise pulmonary function testing, which monitors lung function following exercise.
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing, to see how well the heart and lungs work during exercise.
Total lung capacity (TLC), a test to calculates lung volume.
Oxygen saturation, a test to measure the amount of oxygen being carried by red blood cells.
Medication evaluation, testing which is repeated after the child is medicated to evaluate the effectiveness of the medication.
Fiberoptic bronchscopy. Our staff is experienced in examining the smaller airways of infants and children of any age using flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Our approach has a high level of diagnostic accuracy while allowing your child to breathe spontaneously during the test.
Why Choose Us
NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital are among the few centers in the New York metropolitan area able to measure and monitor lung function in children of any age, including infants. At both centers, our highly skilled pediatric lung specialists use the latest technologies and equipment to diagnosis and treat lung diseases and disorders in children and adolescents. Contact us to make an appointment to assess your child's lung function.
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