ABSTRACT
The nasal administration of therapeutic fluids and vaccines is used to treat allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, congestion, coronaviruses and even Alzheimer's disease. In the latter, the drug must reach the olfactory region, so it finds its way into the central nervous system. Effective administration techniques able to reach the olfactory region are challenging due to the tortuous anatomy of the nasal cavity, and are frequently evaluated in vitro using transparent anatomical models. Here, the liquid distribution inside a 3D printed human nasal cavity is quantified for model fluids resulting from the discharge of a 1-mL syringe with either a spray-generating nozzle, and a straight tip emitting a collimated fluid stream. Experiments using two model fluids with different viscosities suggest that a simple, correctly positioned straight tip attached to a syringe is able to efficiently deliver most of a therapeutic fluid in the human olfactory region in the side-laying position, avoiding the adoption of head-back and head-down positions that can be difficult for patients in the age range typical of Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, we demonstrate by computer simulations that the conclusion is valid within a wide range of parameters.
