Upper Airway Pathology Contributes to Respiratory Symptoms in Children Born Very Preterm.

Objective: To evaluate the role of upper airway dysfunction, indicated by altered vocal quality (dysphonia), on the respiratory symptoms of children surviving very preterm birth.

Study Design: Children born <32 weeks of gestation participated in 2 separate assessments during midchildhood. The first visit assessed voice quality by a subjective evaluation using the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice and a computerized analysis of the properties of the voice via the Acoustic Voice Quality Index.