An aerosol rebreathing method which determines total aerosol deposition in the lung by rebreathing non-radioactive inert aerosol was investigated theoretically for its performance characteristics. The method was then validated experimentally by examining a system response to various operating parameters, its reproducibility and convenience in clinical use. It was found from the theoretical analysis that an optimum performance would be achieved by breathing an aerosol of particles 1 micrometer in diameter with a 500-cm3 tidal volume at the breathing rate of 30 breaths/min. With these optimum parameters, experimental results of 10 normals and 10 patients with obstructive airway disease revealed an excellent measurement reproducibility within subjects (+/- 10% from means). There was a wide separation between the two groups in terms of number of rebreathing breaths to reach 90% aerosol deposition (N90) (mean +/- S.E. = 10.8 +/- 1.6 for normals vs. 3.9 +/- 1.1 for patients) and cumulative percentage of aerosol deposition at the fourth breath (AD4) (mean +/- S.E. = 68 +/- 4.4% for normals vs. 90 +/- 3.5% for patients).