ABSTRACT
Measures of lung function have been the gold standard against which outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have beenmeasured [1-3]. Although fault can be found with this concept and rationales provided for using other outcome measures [4], physiology, diagnosis, and many other characteristics of COPD are directly associated with expiratory airflow limitation [5,6]. Thus, the need to measure lung function stands. The purpose of this chapter is to review and evaluate various measures of expiratory airflows and lung volumes and identify their role in evaluating patients with COPD. The relevance of each measure will then be described and used to recommend those measures best suited for evaluating the impact of therapeutic intervention in patients with COPD.
