Description:

The small airways, ie, the bronchi with an internal diameter of less than 3 mm and with the absence of a supporting cartilaginous skeleton and in which the bronchial secretions are produced alone by cells and no longer by the mucosecretory glands of the submucosa. They have an important relevance both from the physiopathologic and clinical-therapeutic point of view, since they are the portion of the airways where obstruction develops primarily. The purpose of the presentation will be to deepen these aspects and the techniques and parameters set relating to the investigation of the small airways and to the objective measurement difficulties.