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Measurements of interrupter resistance: reference values for children 3–13 yrs of age

¹ Dept of Paediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, and ² Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands

CORRESPONDENCE: P.J.F.M. Merkus, Dept of Paediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, PO Box 2060, 3000 CB, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Fax: 31 104636772. E-mail: merkus@alkg.azr.nl

Keywords: children, interrupter technique, lung function test, reference values

Received: August 8, 2001
Accepted March 19, 2002

The interrupter technique is a convenient and sensitive technique for studying airway function in subjects who cannot actively participate in (forced) ventilatory function tests.

Reference values for preschool children exist but are lacking for children >7 yrs. Reference values were obtained for expiratory interrupter resistance (R_int,e) in 208 healthy Dutch Caucasian children 3–13 yrs of age.

A curvilinear relationship between R_int,e and height was observed, similar to published airways resistance data measured by plethysmography. No significant differences in cross-sectional trend or level of R_int,e were observed according to sex. It was found that Z-scores could be used to express individual R_int,e values and to describe intra- and interindividual differences based on the reference equation: ¹⁰logR_int,e=0.645–0.00668xstanding height (cm) kPa·L^–1·s^–1 and residual SD (0.093 kPa·L^–1·s^–1).

Expiratory interrupter resistance provides a tool for clinical and epidemiological assessment of airway function in a large age range.

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