Measurement Techniques
The most widely used technique to measure eNO is with a chemical reaction that produces light; this is called a chemiluminescence reaction. The NO in the breath sample reacts with ozone to form nitrogen dioxide in an excited state. When this returns to its ground state, it emits light in quantities that are proportional to the amount of exhaled NO.
The subject can exhale directly into a measurement device ('online' technique), or into a reservoir that can afterwards be connected to the analyser ('offline' technique). With the former technique, the early and later NO in the breath sample can be analysed separately. The test requires little coordination from the subject, and children older than 4 can be tested successfully.
Aerocrine, a Swedish developer and seller of biomedical equipment, has patented a device call NIOX MINO that appears to measure NO levels with strong agreement in values with chemiluminescence. However, the patents are void of any detail regarding the operating principles behind the device or any evidence that the signal generated is due to nitric oxide.
Read more about this topic: Exhaled Nitric Oxide
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