Digital signal processing of stridor and snoring in children

Stridor and snoring are common signs of upper airway obstruction. The nature and characteristics of the stridor and snoring depend upon the site of obstruction. Sophisticated analysis of these sounds may provide important information concerning the source of the sound helping to assess the patient more objectively. The preliminary results of computerized digital analysis of stridor and snoring sounds are presented in 5 children. Two main programs were applied to analyse the signal: the Power Spectral Density (PSD) function and the Estimated Cross-sectional Area (ECSA). A consistent pattern according to the site of the produced sound was seen. Further acoustical analyses are needed to standardize this method and to program the computer to indicate the various sites of lesions.