Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the chronic slowly progressing disease characterized by irreversible or partially reversible (with application of bronchial spasmolytics or other treatments) obstruction of a bronchial tree. It is considered that COPD is a combination of an emphysema and affection of a bronchial tree and, as a rule, it is complicated by a pulmonary hypertensia, that is clinically manifested by respiratory insufficiency and signs of pulmonary heart.

According to American Thoracic Society the pulmonary emphysema (PE) is the anatomic alteration of lungs, characterized by pathological expansion of air spaces, located distal to terminal bronchiole and accompanied by destructive changes of alveolar walls. According to this definition, the obligatory symptom of PE is not only expansion, but also destruction of respiratory parts of lungs in the absence of the manifested signs of a pneumosclerosis. The emphysema is usually classified on the basis of changes in acinus and a secondary pulmonary segment.

Obliterating bronchiolitis – is a disease of “small bronchial tubes”, at which there is an inflammation of walls of small bronchial tubes and peribronchial tissues with following obturation (obliteration) of an internal lumen by produced exudate or granulation polypous tissue. The lumen of bronchial tubes is narrowed (up to almost full obliteration) and conditions for formation of expiratory air trap are created. Alveoles are stretched and switched off from gas exchange. The motionless column of air in bronchial tubes proximal to the changed alveoles promotes development of an infection and formation of bronchiectasia.

Thus, COPD is a chronic inflammatory disease with primary affection of distal regions of respiratory ducts, parenchyma of a lung and formation of an emphysema which is characterized by development of initially partially reversible, and as a result – irreversible bronchial obstruction.

COPD is related to widespread diseases of a human. In the USA the tendency to increased incidence of COPD is marked: only for last period this indicator has increased by 25% in men and by 69% in women. The next years the further growth of disease is predicted. Epidemiological data related to disease incidence and death rate often underestimates importance and prevalence of COPD, as usually it is not diagnosed before clinically manifested and relatively severe stages of the disease develop. According to the American respiratory society, only 25% of disease cases are diagnosed in due time. In the USA COPD incidence grow near 15 million persons.

Recently appeared method of computer NLS-graphy of metatron 4025 hunter can become one of leading methods of medical visualization in diagnostics of various diseases of chest cavity organs. This technique allows to extend significantly diagnostic possibilities of hardware research methods in revealing of various morphological changes of lungs and bronchial tubes. Thanks to last year’s introduction of three-dimensional computer nonlinear diagnostics into clinical practice it became possible to analyze lesser changes of pulmonary parenchyma and bronchioles (sized 300–600 microns). Thanks to this, in order to reveal COPD at early stages, it is recommended to apply NLS and especially methods of 3D computer NLS-diagnostics. 3D computer NLS-diagnostics has changed approaches to COPD diagnostics. With introduction of 3D computer nonlinear diagnostics into clinical practice differentiation of various forms of an emphysema and bronchiolitis has became more exact. The real contribution of 3D computer NLS-diagnostics into studying of illnesses of small respiratory ways is one of the most important achievements of NLS-graphy method for the last decade.