Technical Description
Schematic of the Respiratory Aerosol Probe
The RAP can perform two tests:
- Aerosol bolus dispersion, which reflects the convective gas transport in the lungs.
- Aerosol morphometry, which characterizes intra-pulmonary airspace dimensions.
These techniques enable the diagnoses of early emphysema, early changes in lung ventilation induced by smoking and identification of deposition site of drug particles in the lungs.
In several studies it could be shown that airway morphometry measurement by the RAP system is at least as sensitive as the high resolution computer tomography for the diagnosis of lung emphysema. This makes the RAP the diagnostic method of choice for the diagnosis of lung emphysema.