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  • Disease

    Legionnaire disease

    Legionnaire's disease was first described in 1976 after an outbreak of fatal pneumonia at a Legionnaires convention. The newly described organism which caused the disease was named Legionella pneumophila, shown in this picture. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

    Legionnaire disease is an infection of the lungs and airways caused by Legionella bacteria.

  • Test

    Lung diffusion testing

    Lung diffusion testing measures how well oxygen passes from the air sacs in the lungs into the blood.

    Lung diffusion testing measures how well the lungs exchange gases. This is an important part of lung testing, because the major function of the lungs is to...

  • Disease

    Lung disease

    Air is breathed in through the nasal passageways, travels through the trachea and bronchi to the lungs.

    Lung disease is any problem in the lungs that prevents the lungs from working properly. There are three main types of lung disease: Airway diseases — These...

  • Test

    Lung gallium scan

    The gallium scan is a type of nuclear scan involving radioactive gallium which helps determine whether a patient has inflammation in the lungs. Gallium is injected in a vein and a series of x-rays are taken to identify where the gallium has accumulated in the lungs. This test is most often performed when there is evidence of inflammation in the lungs (sarcoidosis).

    Lung gallium scan is a type of nuclear scan that uses radioactive gallium to identify swelling (inflammation) in the lungs.

  • Test

    Lung needle biopsy

    A needle lung biopsy is performed when there is an abnormal condition that is near the surface of the lung, in the tissues surrounding the lungs, or on the chest wall. The test can be performed to obtain a sample for culture when infection of the lung is suspected, and sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage cultures have not identified the cause of the infection.

    A lung needle biopsy is a method to remove a piece of lung tissue for examination. If it is done through the wall of your chest, it is called a transthoracic...

  • Test

    Lung plethysmography

    Lung plethysmography is a test used to measure how much air you can hold in your lungs.

  • Special Topic

    Lung problems and volcano smog

    Volcanic smog (vog) is created when sulfur dioxide and other gases released from a volcano react with oxygen, moisture, dust, and sunlight in the...