Regional Functional Assessment of Pulmonary Disease

Despite having such a large impact, current pulmonary function assessment techniques are dated and only offer global or limited regional measurements, obscuring the regional effects of pulmonary disease. For the first time, two pulmonary diseases, diaphragmatic hernia and emphysema, are studied using 4D velocimetry, a technique for assessing regional lung function. This thesis shows the advantage of regional lung function measures, by quantifying regional compliance and ventilation patterns. Assessment of pulmonary disease on the regional level allows the classification of disease pathology and paves the way to earlier diagnosis, resulting in better patient treatment plans.