News

Maine Sleep Center at CMA Receives Program Accreditation

Press Release

We are now providing Methacholine Challenge testing to our patients and patients with outside referrals for allergy and asthma.

Methacholine challenge testing is one method of assessing airway responsiveness. Airway hyperresponsiveness is one of the features that may contribute to a diagnosis of asthma.

Methacholine challenge testing (MCT) is most often considered when asthma is a serious possibility and traditional methods, most notably spirometry performed before and after administration of a bronchodilator, have not established or eliminated the diagnosis.

Methacholine challenge testing is also a valuable tool in the evaluation of occupational asthma. Methcholine challenge testing is sometimes used to determine the relative risk of developing asthma, assess the severity of asthma, and assess response to asthma therapy although its clinical use in these areas has not been well established.

CMA offers home sleep testing to our patients.

Home Sleep testing uses a portable device that may aid in the diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing in adults. The test monitors nasal airflow, blood oxygen level, pulse and respiratory effort.

---

Thoracic Ultrasound Service

Thoracentesis is a procedure by which fluid is drained from the pleural space. The pleural space is between the chest wall and the lung. The fluid that collects there is called a pleural effusion. Samples of the fluid are sent to a lab where it is tested to determine the cause of the effusion. Causes of a pleural effusion include but are not limited to, congestive heart failure, liver or kidney failure, lung or breast cancer, pneumonia and tuberculosis. Pleural effusions can cause pain and shortness of breath. The purpose of a thoracentesis is to relieve pain and shortness of breath caused by the pleural effusion.