Acoustic variations associated with congenital heart disease

Purpose: To investigate the nature of deviant voice physiology in preoperative children with congenital heart disease. Methods: Ninety-four children with congenital heart disease were enrolled. Their cries and related acoustic variables (fundamental frequency, duration, noise to harmonic ratio, jitter and shimmer) were analyzed using a multi-dimensional voice program. Results: The average fundamental frequency showed a significant decrease in patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, and tetralogy of Fallot, except in atrial septal defect and pulmonary stenosis. The length of the analyzed sample (duration) did not show a significant difference when compared with the control group. There was a significant increase in jitter percent in ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and atrial septal defect. There was an increase in shimmer in ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and atrial septal defect. The noise-to-harmonic ratio increased in ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and atrial septal defect but there was no significant difference in pulmonary stenosis and tetralogy of Fallot. While analyzing acoustic variables, the voice change was significantly higher, especially in patent ductus arteriosus followed by ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect. Most of these acoustic variables were deviant in left-to-right shunt lesions in congenital heart disease, especially in patent ductus artriosus. Conclusion: The results of the voice change analysis of preoperative children with congenital heart disease revealed that the acoustic variables differed by each congenital heart disease. Moreover, the acoustic variables were prominently deviant in congenital heart disease with left-to-right shunts.