For many years, inspiratory short musical sounds, called squawks, squeaks, or short wheezes, have been described. However the acoustic charateristics have not yet been fully studied. We have studied the acoustic characteristics of squawks and compared than with wheezes and rhonchi. Squawks were recorded in 29 patients. They were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of interstial lung diseases including 7 asbestosis, 3 rheumatoid arthritis, 2 hypersensitivity pneumonia, 2 progressive systemic sclerosis, 1 systemic lupus erythematosus, and 1 idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. The second group consisted of other lung diseases, including 5 pulmonary tuberculosis. 4 bronchiectasis, 3 diffuse panbronchiolitis, and 1 pneumonia.
Squawks were picked up at the chest wall where squawks were best heard, using an electrect condenser microphone. Squawks and air flow at the mouth were recorded simultaneously with a two-channel tape recorder. We analyzed the duration, phase in inspiration number of overtones and rise time of the envelope of squawks, using a sound spectrograph and a high-speed meter.
Results were as follows;
1) Squawks were auscultated not only in interstitial lung diseases but also in other lung diseases.
2) Squawks were auscultated in inspiratory phase and associated with coarse of fine creakles.
3) The phase in inspiration of squawks was mid or late inspiratory. In interstitial lung diseases, the phase was 66±15% of inspiration, (mean±S. D.), in other lung diseases, the phase was 50±22% of inspiration. The phase was significantly later in interstitial lung diseases than in other lung diseases.
4) The duration of squawks was 67.5±40.4msec, shorter than wheezes. The pitch of squawks was 530±256Hz, higher than wheezes and rhonchi.
5) The number of overtones of squawks was 3.5±2.3. This value was significantly larger than that of wheezes and rhonchi.
6) The rise time of envelope of 29 squawks was 8.3±5.2msec and this value was considered to be shorter than that of wheezes.
Therefore, we can conclude that squawks fall into a different cathegory of musical sounds from wheezes or rhonchi, and the mechanism of production may be nearly equal to that of discontinuous adventitious lung sounds rather than that of continuous advantitious lung sounds.
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