[Respiratory function tests--current and future perspective].

The apparatus for the respiratory function test have recently made a great progress and become very easy to handle owing to the development of computer technology and medical ordering system. However, the respiratory function tests depend its result on the cooperation of patients. Thus, it is important for the medical technician to obtain the maximum efforts and cooperation of the patients in the testing. In the sense, the standardization of the testing should be done urgently regarding procedures, softwares, hardwares and maintenance of apparatus. In the future perspectives, we would like to emphasize following 3 points. First, more noninvasive and sophisticated testing methods and instruments should be developed, since the patients' age will become more and more old and vigorous active cooperation may not be possible for the assessment of respiratory function. The testing for the transplantation of lung should also be developed. Second, the development of screening test and its performance for the routine medical check for the local inhabitants have been important for the early detection, treatment, and follow up of respiratory diseases. Finally, the medical technician should be prepared so that the testing is available when it is needed.

[The variability of blood velocity in the ophthalmic artery with color Doppler imaging].

Non-invasive measurements of blood velocities of the ophthalmic artery (BVA) in color Doppler imaging (CDI) are increasingly used to assess the influence of disease on the hemodynamics of the eye. Such measurements are only valid when compared to spontaneous variability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the variability of BVA in healthy subjects. Within-a-day short-term variability was assessed from measurements obtained during one day from 5 healthy young male subjects as the coefficient of variation (CV) of 10 consecutive measurements. Between-days variability was assessed by comparing measurements made on three different days at one month intervals. The left and right BVA were measured five consecutive times to evaluate the difference in BVA between left and right eyes in 5 healthy young male subjects. In the within-a-day variability, mean CV in maximum systolic BVA (V max), minimum end diastolic BVA (V min), time-averaged BVA (V mean), resistive index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI) were found to be 6.6%, 14.0%, 14.9%, 3.2%, and 17.4%, respectively. The between-days variability was just as high as the within-a-day variability. There was significant difference in BVA between left and right eyes in two of the five subjects. We concluded that the within-a-day variability and the between-days variability of BVA measured using CDI are reproducible. The CDI can be used to assess the influence of disease and drugs on the hemodynamics of the eye.