Asymmetry performance of the respiratory muscles

Simultaneous measurements of the electrical activity of the major respiratory muscles may provide new information of the symmetric performance of the chest wall. The authors developed an experimental system for the noninvasive measurement of mouth pressure, airflow and EMG signals from major respiratory muscles by surface electrodes during different respiratory maneuvers. In order to analyze the asymmetry of muscle activity the authors simultaneously measured the activity from each side of the chest wall. Preliminary results show the relative contribution of individual groups of the respiratory muscles in healthy subjects and thus may help in the clinical diagnosis and medical follow up of respiratory muscles pathology.