thoracic obstruction?

Question

so i had pulmonary studies done due to shortness of breath and a heavy feeling in my chest and it said i have a pulmonary obstruction and my dr had no info on it and wants me to see a specialist. has anyone ever had this or heard of this?

Answer 1

Well....the information you provide is very limited...What kind of studies did you have (functional, imaging, etc.) and what was the indication for them? In general, the term "thoracic" obstruction in contrast to "pulmonary" or "airway" obstruction implies something related to the thorax (the skeletal structure itself and not it contents) such as thoracic outlet obstruction and so on...My advice is to wait for your appointment, since you were referred to a specialist...What you are trying to describe could be complicated and searching information this way will only confuse you more without providing any reassurance or additional understanding except if you are a medical professional...

Answer 2

I'm guessing you had a pulmonary function test done?

Obstructive disorders include Asthma, Bronchitis, and Emphysema. All these problems involve intrathoracic "flow" problems.

Restrictive (non-obstructive) disorders usually imply "volume" problems where a disorder has impaired your ability to take a complete breath. This includes muscle weakness, Interstitial lung problems, etc... typically, they're extrathoracic.

HOWEVER, sometimes Physicians who are not pulmonary specialists sometimes use their terms incorrectly. Sometimes they use the terms Obstructive and Restrictive interchangeably, and that is not a correct way of doing it. It's just like people in the news media using "Respirator" instead of the correct term "Ventilator". A respirator by definition is something you wear on your face to filter the air you breathe (e.g. HEPA masks for TB, or simply an aerosol mask you wear when you mow the lawn)

Good luck.