Acoustic and Perceptual Profiles of Swallowing Sounds in Children: Normative Data for 4-36 Months from a Cross-Sectional Study Cohort.
Limited data on cervical auscultation (CA) sounds during the transitional feeding period of 4-36 months in healthy children exist. This study examined the acoustic and perceptual parameters of swallowing sounds in children aged 4-36 months over a range of food and fluid consistencies. Using CA, swallowing sounds were recorded from a microphone as children ate or drank. Acoustic parameters of duration, peak frequency and peak intensity were determined. Perceptual parameters of swallowing/breath sounds heard pre-, during and post-swallow were rated ('present', 'absent', 'cannot be determined') for each texture. 74 children (35 males; mean age = 17.1 months [SD 10.0]) demonstrated mean swallow durations of <1 s. Increasing age correlated to reduced peak frequency on puree (r = -0.48, 95 % CI -0.66, -0.24). Age correlated to peak amplitude when swallowing puree (r = 0.27, 95 % CI 0.02, 0.49), chewable solids (r = 0.31, 95 % CI 0.02, 0.56) and thin fluids (r = 0.48, 95 % CI 0.27, 0.64). The bolus transit sound was present in all swallows. A majority of children had normal breathing sounds and coordinated swallows. A swallow duration of <1 s and the presence of a quick bolus transit sound with normal breathing sounds were found in healthy children. The normative data reported in this study provide a platform for future comparison to abnormal swallowing sounds in children.
Centre for Children's Health Research, The University of Queensland, Level 7, 62 Graham St, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia. t.frakking@uq.edu.au.|Speech Pathology Department, Caboolture Hospital, McKean St, Caboolture, QLD, 4510, Australia. t.frakking@uq.edu.au.
Thuy T
TT
Frakking
Queensland Children's Respiratory Centre, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, 501 Stanley St, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia.|Child Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, PO Box 41096, Casuarina, NT, 0811, Australia.|Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Centre for Children's Health Research, Queensland University of Technology, Level 7, 62 Graham St, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia.
Anne B
AB
Chang
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Centre for Children's Health Research, Queensland University of Technology, Level 7, 62 Graham St, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia.
Kerry-Ann F
KF
O'Grady
Centre for Children's Health Research, The University of Queensland, Level 7, 62 Graham St, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia.
Julie
J
Yang
School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston Rd, Herston, QLD, 4029, Australia.
Michael
M
David
School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.|Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Kelly A
KA
Weir
D000162:Acoustics; D001314:Auscultation; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D004326:Drinking / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D013016:Sound
Cervical auscultation; Deglutition; Deglutition disorders; Normative; Oropharyngeal aspiration; Swallow sounds