This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (4)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Airway Obstruction  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation

David Wexler, MD; Rebecca Segal, PhD; Julia Kimbell, PhD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005;131:1102-1107.

Objective  To investigate the aerodynamic consequences of conservative unilateral inferior turbinate reduction using computational fluid dynamics methods to accomplish detailed nasal airflow simulations.

Design  A high-resolution, finite-element mesh of the nasal airway was constructed from magnetic resonance imaging data of a healthy man. Steady-state, inspiratory airflow simulations were conducted at 15 L/min using the techniques of computational fluid dynamics

Intervention  Circumferential removal of 2 mm of soft tissue bulk along the length of the left inferior turbinate was modeled.

Main Outcome Measures  Nasal airflow distribution and pressure profiles were computed before and after simulated left inferior turbinate reduction.

Results  Simulated inferior turbinate reduction resulted in a broad reduction of pressure along the nasal airway, including the regions distant from the inferior turbinate vicinity. In contrast, relative airflow changes were regional: airflow was minimally affected in the valve region, increased in the lower portion of the middle and posterior nose, and decreased dorsally.

Conclusion  Use of computational fluid dynamics methods should help elucidate the aerodynamic significance of specific surgical interventions and refine surgical approaches to the nasal airway.

Author Affiliations: Division of Otolaryngology, Fallon Clinic, Worcester, Mass (Dr Wexler); and CIIT Centers for Health Research, Research Triangle Park, NC (Drs Segal and Kimbell).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Inflow boundary profile prescription for numerical simulation of nasal airflow
Taylor et al.
J R Soc Interface 2009;0:rsif.2009.0306v1-rsif20090306.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Atrophic rhinitis: a CFD study of air conditioning in the nasal cavity
Garcia et al.
J. Appl. Physiol. 2007;103:1082-1092.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT