ABSTRACT
The administration of an aerosol via a nebulizer is an important step in a number of diagnostic procedures. These include the measurement of airway responsiveness, inhalation challenge testing with allergens and occupational agents, bronchodilator reversibility testing, sputum induction, and the administration of radioisotopes. The performance of the nebulizer is most critical in the measurement of airway responsiveness as this requires precise quantification of the effect of the inhaled agent, and discussion of this forms the main part of this chapter. The issues of nebulizer output, aerosol particle size distribution, variability of nebulizer output, and the influence of breathing patterns are similar so far as other forms of inhalation challenge and reversibility testing are concerned. With sputum induction and radioisotope administration the response to the nebulized agent is not quantified directly but the performance of the nebulizer remains important for the standardization of the tests.
