Abstract
This study’s objective was the generation of a standardized geometry of the healthy nasal cavity. An average geometry of the healthy nasal cavity was generated using a statistical shape model based on 25 symptom-free subjects. Airflow within the average geometry and these geometries was calculated using fluid simulations. Integral measures of the nasal resistance, wall shear stresses (WSS) and velocities were calculated as well as cross-sectional areas (CSA). Furthermore, individual WSS and static pressure distributions were mapped onto the average geometry. The average geometry featured an overall more regular shape that resulted in less resistance, reduced WSS and velocities compared to the median of the 25 geometries. Spatial distributions of WSS and pressure of the average geometry agreed well compared to the average distributions of all individual geometries. The minimal CSA of the average geometry was larger than the median of all individual geometries (83.4 vs. 74.7 mm²). The airflow observed within the average geometry of the healthy nasal cavity did not equal the average airflow of the individual geometries. While differences observed for integral measures were notable, the calculated values for the average geometry lay within the distributions of the individual parameters. Spatially resolved parameters differed less prominently.
Highlights
The nose is the main passageway for respired air to flow from ambient to the lungs and vice versa
Due to mirroring of the training data that was used for generation of the statistical shape model, the average geometry is perfectly symmetric
In this study we investigated an average geometry of the healthy nasal cavity and compared the numerically calculated airflow within this geometry against the averaged airflow observed within 25 patient-specific geometries
Summary
The nose is the main passageway for respired air to flow from ambient to the lungs and vice versa. First studies were able to reveal correlations between numerically calculated flow parameters and the perceived nasal patency of a patient. They were able to reveal differences in wall shear stress and heat flux between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with septal perforations[9] and they were able to show, that numerical simulations might help to understand complex relationships between surgical procedures and the development of empty nose syndrome[10]. The human nasal cavity is an extremely complex geometry, but its individual features differ grossly even if the main anatomical structure remains similar. A lot of in-vitro and in-silico investigations are performed using individual geometries. The heterogeneity makes it difficult to compare findings made using different geometries, be it between different research groups, and within a sample
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