The pulmonary function test interpretation is possible only with the help of a medical practitioner or pulmonologist. In simple words, the pulmonary function test interpretation includes a list of various measurements but the final analysis will make use of only few of the parameters in order to investigate the defects in the respiratory system.
Some of the parameters that are useful for pulmonary function test interpretation include Spirometry which indicates the measure of flow of breathing. This test is used in order to investigate any obstruction in the respiratory passage. The results of this report will depend on various factors like the individual age, sex and body mass The values will vary according to the age but is generally between 68 to 77 %.
The pulmonary function test interpretation with respect to various parameters is as follows:
When a patient has a low ratio of the forced expiration volume at 1 second (FVE1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) then the extent of the obstruction I the respiratory passage will be the absolute value of FVE1. In case of very low levels of FVE1 the obstruction would be very severe and the patient require immediate treatment. However there are many discrepancies in the pulmonary function test interpretation by this test as in case of a patient who is fairly restricted a not so severely obstructed, the FVE1 values will be very low leading to misinterpretation of the results.