Analysis of the pharynx and the trachea by the acoustic reflection method in children: A pilot study

The acoustic reflection method (ARM) is based on the analysis of the reflection of acoustic waves. The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of the ARM in healthy children, and the anthropometric parameters that were correlated with the minimum cross-sectional area (MCAv) of the upper airways. Fifty-nine children (age 2-18 years) participated to the study. The mean MCAv value were 1.47 ± 0.15, 1.77 ± 0.33, 1.80 ± 0.23, 2.06 ± 0.42, 2.19 ± 0.37, and 2.22 ± 0.29 cm2, in the 2-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, and 16-18 year age groups, respectively. The MCAv values correlated significantly with height, age, and weight, but in a stepwise multiple regression analysis, only height remained correlated with the MCAv (r = 0.59, p < 0.0001). The analysis of the upper airways by the ARM is feasible in children after 2 years of age and the MCAv values increase with height in childhood.