Pulmonary Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment

Pulmonology is a specialty which is concerned with the management of the diseases of the respiratory tract. It include asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, tuberculosis and chest infections. The diagnosis of a pulmonary condition can be rigorous and may involve measurement of respiratory rate, inspection of signs of clubbing or cyanosis in hands, palpation of the trachea and the cervical lymph nodes, auscultation of the lung fields for unusual breath sounds, etc. Pulmonary clinical procedures include various pulmonary tests and procedures, such as spirometry, pulmonary function tests, scintigraphy, chest X-rays, bronchoscopy with broncho alveolar lavage, etc. Radiographic imaging is used to visualize the vasculature of the heart and the lungs. Inhalatory medicine such as steroids and bronchodilators, and oral medicine comprising of leukotriene antagonists and antibiotics are commonly used for the management of pulmonary conditions. This book presents some path-breaking studies in various pulmonary diseases. It outlines the diagnosis and treatment of such conditions in detail. Scientists and students actively engaged in pulmonology will find this book full of crucial and unexplored concepts.