Following the colloquium entitled "Nasal Ventilation and Neuromuscular Disease", which took place in Lyon, France, October 24, 1991, a group of authorities on neuromuscular disorders met to establish a consensus concerning the application of this technique, in the clinical setting, for patients with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, non-Duchenne myopathies and the spinal muscular atrophies. This report summarizes recommendations issuing from this conference. The conclusions drawn from this work should not be applied to patients with other diagnoses.