A new approach to acoustical evaluation of human respiratory sounds.

The authors developed a method for more precise detection and analysis of the physical features of respiratory and voice sound transmission to the chest wall. Based on their findings using this method, they designed several devices for acoustic examination and evaluation of components of human respiratory sounds. These devices analyze forced expiratory sounds, distinguish between air-borne and structure-borne sounds, and distinguish abnormalities in voice transmission to the chest wall. Tests of the devices on human subjects confirmed the validity of the authors' theoretical models, which offer promise for the development of a new class of medical diagnostic instruments.