PULMONARY FUNCTION STUDIES IN SARCOIDOSIS 1

Abstract

Pulmonary function studies were performed in 8 patients with clinical sarcoidosis, confirmed by biopsy. In 3 of these, the thoracic disease was confined primarily to hilar and mediastinal adenopathy; in these the function studies were essentially normal except for a decrease in max. breathing capacity in one and a reduction of arterial O2 saturation in another. In 5, the intrathoracic lesions were primarily pulmonary in nature; consistent abnormalities found in these were: (a) abnormal intrapulmonary gas distribution as measured by the single breath test; (b) increase in the absolute and relative value for residual capacity (residual hyperinflation); (c) decrease in maximum breathing capacity. Reasons are presented for attributing these changes to peribronchiolar fibrosis rather than to intra-alveolar or interstitial fibrosis or to emphysema of the destructive type.