Numerical simulation of intranasal airlfow ifeld / 中国耳鼻咽喉头颈外科

ABSTRACT

[ABSTRACT]OBJECTIVETo explore the basic characters of the airflow-field in Chinese people's nasal cavity by computational fluid dynamics.METHODSThe three-dimensional, finite-element mesh were developed from Spiral CT imaging scans of nose of the 40 healthy Chinese people. Given the following spatial boundaries of the flow field no-slip condition was imposed at the surface of the nasal airway walls; a standard atmosphere pressure condition was established at the inlet; a velocity vector was specified at the outlet (nasopharynx), which was obtained under the condition of aspiratory flow rate (12 L/min), the full Navier-Stokes and continuity equations were solved to obtain the airflow pattern.RESULTS1. The airflow passed mainly through left or right side of the nasal airway in the whole 40 cases (left 33, right 7),and the volume of air through the main-side is (320±28) ml while non-main-side (180±45) ml. 2. Airflow velocity airflow of anterior nostrils, internal nostrils, the middle and inferior parts of the total meatus in the main-side were (5.01±2.12) m/s, (7.00±1.75) m/s, (5.08±1.55) m/s, (4.12±1.40) m/s respectively, and those in non-main-side were (2.01±0.94) m/s, (2.40±0.34) m/s, (1.99±1.0) m/s, (2.01±0.65) m/s respectively, which differences between the both sides were of statistical significance (allP0.05); 3. The airflow form appeared to be linear in the middle and inferior parts of the nasal cavity. 4. Velocity in maxillary sinus cavity was almost 0 m/s.CONCLUSIONThe airflow passes mainly through the middle and inferior parts of the meatus with higher velocity in laminar form and airflow of middle meatus, inferior meatus and olfactory cleft are low and the velocity were slow. Besides, airflow in maxillary sinus cavity diffuses free mainly.