Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Patients who may have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) will undergo many tests. Tests are done for two reasons — to diagnose the patient's condition and to help physicians determine the most advantageous treatment.

History and physical examination. A history of the patient's illness will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Chest X-rays. A chest X-ray assesses the heart size and determines if there are fluid collections, masses or changes in the lungs. This is most useful when physicians can compare it to previous X-rays. Doctors may need to order frequent chest X-rays to monitor the patient's progress.

Arterial blood gas analysis. An arterial blood gas measures how well the lungs bring oxygen into the blood and remove carbon dioxide from the blood. The blood sample is usually drawn from an artery in the wrist area.

Pulmonary function tests. Pulmonary functions tests (PFTs) help determine the condition of the lungs and may detect the presence and extent of lung disease.

Patients put on a nose clip and breathe both normally and forcefully. The technician coaches the patient through each part of the test, allowing enough time for rest in between breathing efforts. PFTs are done with and without bronchial dilating medications to test the patient's response to the medications.

Mucus examination. Tests are also done on sputum, mucus from the respiratory tract. There are two main types of mucus tests:

• A mucus culture can identify the cause of a lung infection.
• A mucus cytology (examination of cells under the microscope) aids in detecting lung cancer.