LUNGS FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY ESTIMATION METHOD Russian patent published in 2009 - IPC A61B6/00 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention refers to medicine, namely to X-ray diagnostics of pulmonary diseases and involves X-ray study of thorax in frontal projection in maximal inspiration and expiration phases. It is combined with a stationary radiopaque grid. Thereafter the prepared X-ray images are examined with a stereocomparator while being mutually rotated by 90° about the vertical position. It is followed with measuring the horizontal parallax differences between the grid and the X-rayed fifth rib of anterior rib cage of the left (Δp_l) and right (Δp_r) lungs. Their functional condition (k) is calculated by formula k=Δp_l/Δp_r. If k≈1, excursion capabilities of the left and right lungs are equal; k>1 shows sclerotic changes of the left lung 1.5 times lower as compared to the right. With k>>1 the left lung involvement is not observed. It functions completely with compensating subnormal functioning of the sclerotic right lung. With k<1, sclerotic changes are diagnosed in the right lung 1.5 times lower as compared to the left. In case k<<1, the right involvement is not observed, it functions completely with compensating subnormal functioning of the sclerotic left lung.

EFFECT: method allows for high-reliable estimation of degree of pulmonary tissue involvement with sclerotic process in this or that lung segment, simultaneously the method allows estimating reserve function of lungs and accelerating estimation procedure of lungs functional capacities.

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