Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are noninvasive tests that show how well the lungs are working. The tests measure lung volume, capacity, rates of flow, and gas exchange. This information can help your healthcare provider diagnose and decide the treatment of certain lung disorders.
Why might I need pulmonary function tests?
There are many different reasons why pulmonary function tests (PFTs) may be done. They are sometimes done in healthy people as part of a routine physical. They are also routinely done in certain types of work environments to ensure employee health (such as graphite factories and coal mines). Or you may have PFTs if your healthcare provider needs help to diagnose you with a health problem such as:
•    Allergies
•    Respiratory infections
•    Trouble breathing from injury to the chest or a recent surgery
•    Chronic lung conditions, such as asthma, bronchiectasis, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis
•    Asbestosis, a lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers
•    Restrictive airway problems from scoliosis, tumors, or inflammation or scarring of the lungs
•    Sarcoidosis, a disease that causes lumps of inflammatory cells around organs, such as the liver, lungs, and spleen
•    Scleroderma, a disease that causes thickening and hardening of connective tissue