Abstract
This paper presents AVATREE, a computational modelling framework that generates Anatomically Valid Airway tree conformations and provides capabilities for simulation of broncho-constriction apparent in obstructive pulmonary conditions. Such conformations are obtained from the personalized 3D geometry generated from computed tomography (CT) data through image segmentation. The patient-specific representation of the bronchial tree structure is extended beyond the visible airway generation depth using a knowledge-based technique built from morphometric studies. Additional functionalities of AVATREE include visualization of spatial probability maps for the airway generations projected on the CT imaging data, and visualization of the airway tree based on local structure properties. Furthermore, the proposed toolbox supports the simulation of broncho-constriction apparent in pulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. AVATREE is provided as an open-source toolbox in C++ and is supported by a graphical user interface integrating the modelling functionalities. It can be exploited in studies of gas flow, gas mixing, ventilation patterns and particle deposition in the pulmonary system, with the aim to improve clinical decision making.
Highlights
In the past years, a multitude of studies paves the way for the generation of patient-specific computational models of lung structure and function
With respect to the aforementioned studies, our work focuses on generating surface meshes of extended patientbased bronchial trees, suitable for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, along with a toolbox to simulate constriction of the airways
We presented Anatomically Valid Airway tree conformations (AVATREE), an end-to-end approach modeling the subject-specific airway tree that defines the personalized boundary conditions required for the simulation of pulmonary function
Summary
A multitude of studies paves the way for the generation of patient-specific computational models of lung structure and function. Studies focused on airway morphometry generating the first human bronchial trees models [1] These studies employed casts to decipher the relationship between bronchi lengths, branching angles and airway diameters [2]. While early studies focused mainly on quantitative modeling approaches to gain insight into the lung function without an explicit link to the lung’s structure, with the advancements in computing power and the current medical imaging capabilities, the interest in the simulation of lung function based on personalized geometric models that incorporate the essential structural features of the lungs, has significantly increased [10]. Bronchial morphometry and tree branching, mathematical models of bifurcating distributing systems are required to derive patient-specific structural and functional modelling approaches. AVATREE employs airway segmentation as a first step to obtain the personalized structure in the first generations, while the more advanced generations are simulated based on a tree extension algorithm
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