Band-pass spectral-temporal parameters of forced expiratory noises in bronchial obstruction. relation with whistling sounds

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Abstract

A comparative study of band-pass spectral-temporal parameters of tracheal noises of forced expiratory (FE) and quantitative assessment of FE wheezes was conducted on an experimental sample including patients with bronchial obstruction (asthma and COPD, n = 36) and healthy asymptomatic individuals with normal lung function (n = 39). Digital processing of tracheal noise signals was performed in MATLAB automatically using a specially developed algorithm. The analyzed acoustic band-pass parameters are temporal and spectral characteristics in several (2 to 6) combined 200-Hz bands, divided into mid- (200–800 Hz) and high-frequency (800–2000 Hz) areas in the range of 200–2000 Hz, as well as their ratios. FE wheezes were recognized by an experienced operator on spectrograms in the SpectraPLUS audio editor. A significant predominance of the values of high-frequency band-pass energy parameters of tracheal noises and the ratio of energies and powers of the high-frequency and mid-frequency ranges was revealed in patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases compared to healthy controls. The number of whistling sounds was greater in patients and moderately correlated with the acoustic parameters. Redistribution of acoustic energy to the high-frequency region is probably associated with the pathophysiological basis of bronchial obstruction – narrowing of the conducting airways and an increase in airflow resistance.

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About the authors

I. A. Pochekutova

Il’ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute, Far Eastern Branch of RAS

Author for correspondence.
Email: i-poch@poi.dvo.ru

Department of Acoustic Tomography

Russian Federation, Vladivostok

M. A. Safronova

Il’ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute, Far Eastern Branch of RAS

Email: i-poch@poi.dvo.ru

Department of Acoustic Tomography

Russian Federation, Vladivostok

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Determination of acoustic parameters of forced expiratory noise. A – determination of total duration Ta, T1 – start time and T2 – end time of noise; B – determination of band durations (ti) and energies (Ai) in corresponding bands (i = 1...9), S – threshold level.

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3. Fig. 2. Spectrograms of tracheal sounds of forced expiration (FE) of a healthy subject (A) and a patient with obstruction (B). f1 – “tracks” of mid-frequency (MF) whistles of FE (MFW) in the frequency band of 200–800 Hz (on spectrogram B, the MFW region is highlighted by a rectangle); f2 – “tracks” of high-frequency (HF) MFW (more than 800 Hz) in the first half of the maneuver; f3 – “tracks” of HF MFW (more than 800 Hz) in the second half of the maneuver; h2 – 2nd harmonic of whistle f2 in a healthy subject; h1 – 2nd harmonics of MFW (f1) in a patient, bp – broadband part.

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4. Fig. 3. Acoustic parameters of tracheal forced expiratory noises in groups. A – time parameters: (Ta) – total duration, (t) – band durations; B, C – (Ar) – specific band energies in the mid-frequency (MF) and high-frequency (HF) ranges; G – (Ar/tr) – specific average high-frequency (HF) band powers; D, E – band parameters L in the MF and HF ranges. Frequency range designations: MF1 – 200–800 Hz, MF2 – 400–800 Hz, HF3 – 800–2000 Hz, HF4 – 1000–2000 Hz, HF5 – 1200–2000 Hz, HF6 – 1400–2000 Hz. Significance levels of differences: * – p ≤ 0.05, ** – p ≤ 0.01, *** – p ≤ 0.001, **** – p ≤ 0.0001.

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5. Fig. 4. Relative band acoustic parameters in groups. A – (Arhf/Arsf) – ratios of specific band energies of high-frequency (HF) and mid-frequency (MF) ranges; B – ((Ar/tr)hf/(Ar/tr)sf) – ratios of average specific band powers of HF and MF ranges. Frequency range designations: MF1 – 200–800 Hz, MF2 – 400–800 Hz, HF3 – 800–2000 Hz, HF4 – 1000–2000 Hz, HF5 – 1200–2000 Hz, HF6 – 1400-2000 Hz. Significance levels of differences: * – p ≤ 0.05, ** – p ≤ 0.01, *** – p ≤ 0.001, **** – p ≤ 0.0001.

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6. Fig. 5. Frequency of occurrence of whistles, their harmonics (A) and the total number of mid-frequency (MF) and high-frequency (HF) narrow-band components of tracheal noises (B) in groups.

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