Respiratory and sleep medicine
Pulmonary function test interpretation
Reading spirometry, flow-volume loops, lung volumes and DLCO with z-scores and the GLI equations, the ERS/ATS 2022 interpretive approach, bronchodilator and provocation testing, and the patterns of obstruction, restriction, neuromuscular weakness and pulmonary vascular disease.
Tier 1Medical sciences concept
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Spirometry answers "is there airflow obstruction?". Lung volumes answer "is there restriction or hyperinflation?". DLCO answers "is gas exchange impaired?".
- The ERS/ATS 2022 standard uses z-scores: below -1.645 is abnormal. Fixed cut-offs (70% ratio, 80% predicted) misclassify the young and the old.
- Australian and NZ labs use the GLI reference equations (ANZSRS 2016). The race-neutral GLI Global equations (2023) are replacing the race-specific set; check which your lab reports.
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Sources
- Stanojevic S, Kaminsky DA, Miller MR et al. ERS/ATS technical standard on interpretive strategies for routine lung function tests. Eur Respir J 2022;60:2101499European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society, 2022
- Graham BL, Steenbruggen I, Miller MR et al. Standardization of spirometry 2019 update: an official ATS/ERS technical statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019;200:e70-e88American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society, 2019
- Graham BL, Brusasco V, Burgos F et al. 2017 ERS/ATS standards for single-breath carbon monoxide uptake in the lung. Eur Respir J 2017;49:1600016European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society, 2017
- Brazzale D, Hall G, Swanney MP. Reference values for spirometry and their use in test interpretation: a position statement from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science. Respirology 2016;21:1201-1209AU/NZAustralian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science, 2016
- Bowerman C, Bhakta NR, Brazzale D et al. A race-neutral approach to the interpretation of lung function measurements. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2023;207:768-774American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2023
- Bhakta NR, Bime C, Kaminsky DA et al. Race and ethnicity in pulmonary function test interpretation: an official American Thoracic Society statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2023;207:978-995American Thoracic Society, 2023
- Australian Asthma HandbookAU/NZNational Asthma Council Australia, 2025
- MBS items 11505 (spirometry), 11512 (laboratory spirometry) and 11503 (complex respiratory function tests)AU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (MBS Online), accessed November 2026
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Deploy to Cloudflare on push to main