When you take your child to a pediatric specialist, you want them to get to the bottom of their health ailments. All doctors use diagnostic tools to reveal the root cause of a patient’s problems. Accurate diagnoses from pediatric pulmonologists are the first step toward effective treatment.
Pediatric lung specialists use a variety of pulmonary tests and procedures to diagnose specific respiratory problems. Knowing what to expect can ease your nerves as a parent and inspire hope for your child’s relief.
These tests and diagnostic methods screen for chronic breathing problems that interfere with your child’s quality of life. Here’s what you should know before your appointment.
Pulmonary Function Testing: A Comprehensive Overview of Your Child’s Breathing Abilities
Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is an umbrella term that includes several different lung tests. Pediatric lung specialists perform these tests to assess your child’s breathing abilities, lung development, and overall respiratory health.
PFT procedures also monitor the progression of chronic lung conditions. If your child has already been diagnosed with something, their doctor may order these tests to check on their progress and see if their treatment plan is working.
Here are some of the most common pulmonary testing procedures you can expect:
Lung Volume Testing
Lung volume testing is a comprehensive way to evaluate a child’s breathing capacity.
The specialist will use a special plastic tube to measure how much air your little one’s lungs can hold at once. They’ll ask your child to take a big breath and then blow as much air as they can through the tube. Sometimes, lung doctors use a special gas to measure air output as well.
Spirometry
Similar to lung volume tests, a spirometry test involves blowing into a special device that measures air output. Spirometers calculate how much and how fast your child exhales at once.
This tells the doctor whether anything is impairing their breathing or blocking their airway. Pediatric lung specialists often use spirometry testing to monitor chronic diseases like asthma and evaluate the effectiveness of respiratory treatments.
Oscillometry
Oscillometry tests are often performed with spirometry tests. Rather than measuring the rate and volume of your child’s air output, however, oscillometry measures small reactions and resistances in their airway.
The results can be an early indicator of reactive lung problems, like asthma or COPD. Oscillometry is usually easier for children with severe breathing restrictions to perform, since they don’t have to force air out of their lungs.
Exercise Testing
If the doctor suspects your child has exercise-induced asthma, they may order exercise testing. These assessments evaluate your child’s lung function and oxygen saturation during and after various levels of activity.
Common exercise assessments in pediatric pulmonology include the six-minute walk test, the PET test, and oxygen saturation measurements during exercise. All of these assess your child’s ability to breathe and efficiently absorb oxygen while exerting themselves.
Visual Diagnostics: X-Rays and Other Imaging
Sometimes pediatric lung specialists have to look at your child’s lung anatomy to screen for and detect abnormalities. This is normal and may not be a cause for concern. Common visual diagnostic tests include X-ray imaging, MRIs, ultrasounds, and CT scans.
Basic X-Rays
Chest X-rays show the doctor what your child’s internal breathing structures look like. This includes their lungs and diaphragm. X-rays are a helpful starting point in identifying respiratory problems, whether they’re acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term).
MRIs
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is better for analyzing the structures and tissues surrounding your child’s lungs. This type of imaging uses a magnetic field and special waves to generate three-dimensional images.
The in-depth images provided by MRIs help pediatric lung specialists identify problems with pulmonary blood flow, inflammation, and abnormal growths.
Ultrasounds
Ultrasounds use sound waves to generate internal images. They’re less commonly used in pediatric pulmonology, but they produce images so quickly that they’re ideal for severe situations.
Ultrasounds may catch pockets of fluid in the lungs that other imaging doesn’t detect, or show events like lung collapse in real time. In situations when immediate intervention is crucial, ultrasounds can be life-saving.
CT Scans
Computed tomography (CT) scans combine multiple X-ray images from different directions to create a more detailed picture of internal organs. Think of a CT scan like an extra-thorough X-ray.
If your child is struggling with a persistent but unknown lung issue or the doctor suspects a problem like blood clots, they may order a CT scan. These scans often reveal smaller, more subtle problems than X-ray imaging can.
Sleep Study Evaluations for Children
As your child sleeps, their lungs continue to draw in air from the surrounding environment. Problems arise when this breathing process is interrupted, impaired, or inefficient in some way.
Pediatric lung specialists can evaluate the results of children’s sleep studies to detect respiratory problems. Sleep studies themselves are usually done in special “sleep labs” in hospitals or other medical centers. Medical professionals monitor your child as they sleep.
They look at metrics like:
- Breathing rate
- Interruptions in respiration
- Body movements
- Blood oxygen saturation
- Sleep cycles and stages
- Wake-up periods
Your little one’s doctor may order a sleep study if they suspect sleep apnea or another sleep-related breathing disorder.
Oxygen Measurements
The main functions of the lungs are to draw in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. The body needs oxygen to survive. When this process goes wrong, it’s a red flag for pediatric lung specialists.
Blood oxygen testing can take different forms, but the end goal is the same: to determine how much oxygen your child takes in by breathing. Inefficient oxygen absorption could indicate an underlying condition.
Pediatric lung specialists can monitor the ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide in your child’s blood. They may do this by attaching electrodes to your little one’s skin or by drawing blood and analyzing it in a lab.
Get Answers About Your Child’s Lung Health With Pulmonary Tests
Pulmonary testing takes many different forms. Each assessment helps pediatric lung doctors screen for chronic conditions, acute infections, and developmental problems. With the help of accurate, skilled diagnostic procedures, your child can get the care they need to thrive.
At Newport Children’s Medical Group, we perform in-depth pediatric pulmonology services, including evaluation and diagnostics. Book an appointment with us today!