INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes changes in respiratory function and alters the musculoskeletal structures of the chest, increasingly limiting an individual's ability to breathe. OBJECTIVES: To quantitatively analyze chest radiographs of patients with COPD and establish a comparison among the pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, thoracic mobility, functional capacity and findings of radiographic exams. METHOD: We studied 15 subjects with COPD who performed the spirometry test, the six-minute walk, manovacuometry and micrometry. The values obtained from these tests were compared with measurements made on chest radiographs of these patients. The values obtained for each variable were normalized by dividing them by retrosternal height. RESULTS: The variable that correlated most significantly with the variables of spirometry (FVC and PEF) and cirtometry (Xiphoid CR and Axillary CR) was the costo-phrenic angle. The image variable ALB DIR positively correlated with the variable PI max. The level of left diaphragmatic drawdown, intercostals right and left distances were not correlated with the variables of physiotherapy exams. CONCLUSION: The variable that correlated most significantly with the tests was the costo-phrenic angle, which indicates that the involvement of the diaphragm has impact on the general conditions of COPD. Thus, the study showed that impairment of the diaphragm in patients with COPD observed in tests of physiotherapy correlate with image variables that assess the diaphragm in radiography.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Evaluation; Radiography
