importância da avaliação funcional respiratória em idade precoce

Lung function tests are useful tools to aid the diagnosis, follow-up after therapeutical intervention and prognosis of several diseases with lung compromise. It has been possible in recent years its application to younger children, with evident benefits for the possibility to follow-up and modify the natural course of certain diseases. Infant and preschool lung function tests have metho-do logical peculiarities, with enormous progress in this field in recent years due to the interest of the scientific community in these tests. In this article will be explained the available techniques for lung function evaluation in younger children, highlighting for each technique the fundamentals, methodology and applicability. Particular emphasis will be made on the recent techniques for infants - tidal and raised-volume rapid thoraco-abdominal compression techniques- and preschoolers - plethysmography without occlusion and animated spirometry. Although the infant lung function tests remain reserved for research due to its controversial individual applicability, lung function tests in preschool age seem to be very promising in the future.