A patient has a bronchodilator study that shows a 17% increase in the FEV1 after the bronchodilator is administered. What is the interpretation?

A 17% increase in FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Volume in one second) after the administration of a bronchodilator indicates significant reversibility in airflow obstruction. In pulmonary function testing, a change of 12% or more in FEV1 is commonly considered clinically significant, suggesting that the patient's airways could respond positively to bronchodilator therapy.

This degree of improvement reflects the patient's capacity to reverse some degree of airway obstruction. It is particularly relevant in diagnosing conditions such as asthma, where bronchial hyperreactivity and responsiveness to bronchodilators are hallmark indicators. Therefore, the interpretation of significant reversibility is based on established guidelines and clinical understanding that an improvement of this magnitude typically correlates with a diagnosis of reversible airflow obstruction conditions.