Numerical simulation of airflow and micro-particle deposition in human nasal airway pre- and post-virtual sphenoidotomy surgery

作者：Bahmanzadeh Hojat; Abouali Omid^*; Faramarzi Mohammad; Ahmadi Goodarz

来源：Computers in Biology and Medicine, 2015, 61: 8-18.

DOI：10.1016/j.compbiomed.2015.03.015

• Nasal airway
• Sphenoid sinus
• Sphenoidotomy
• CFD
• Micro-particle
• Unsteady flow

In the present study, the effects of endoscopic sphenoidotomy surgery on the flow patterns and deposition of micro-particles in the human nasal airway and sphenoid sinus were investigated. A realistic model of a human nasal passage including nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses was constructed using a series of CT scan images of a healthy subject. Then, a virtual sphenoidotomy by endoscopic sinus surgery was performed in the left nasal passage and sphenoid sinus. Transient airflow patterns pre- and post-surgery during a full breathing cycle (inhalation and exhalation) were simulated numerically under cyclic flow condition. The Lagrangian approach was used for evaluating the transport and deposition of inhaled micro-particles. An unsteady particle tracking was performed for the inhalation phase of the breathing cycle for the case that particles were continuously entering into the nasal airway. The total deposition pattern and sphenoid deposition fraction of micro-particles were evaluated and compared for pre- and post-surgery cases. The presented results show that sphenoidotomy increased the airflow into the sphenoid sinus, which led to increased deposition of micro-particles in this region. Particles up to 25 mu m were able to penetrate into the sphenoid in the post-operation case, and the highest deposition in the sphenoid for the resting breathing rate occurred for 10 mu m particles at about 1.5%.

• 出版日期2015-6-1