Large eddy simulations of airflow and particle deposition in pulsating bi-directional nasal drug delivery

Abstract

Chronic rhinosinusitis is a common disease worldwide, and the frequently prescribed nasal sprays do not sufficiently deliver the topical medications to the target sites so that the final treatment in severe cases is surgery. Therefore, there is a huge demand to improve drug delivery devices that could target the maxillary sinuses more effectively. In the present study, different particle diameters and device pulsation flow rates, mainly used in pulsating aerosol delivery devices such as the PARI SINUS®, are considered to evaluate optimal maxillary sinus deposition efficiency (DE). Numerical simulations of the particle-laden flow using a large eddy simulation with a local dynamic k-equation sub-grid scale model are performed in a patient-specific nasal cavity. By increasing the pulsation flow rate from 4 l/min to 15 l/min, nasal DE increases from 37% to 68%. Similarly, by increasing the particle size from 1 µm to 5 µm, nasal DE increases from 34% to 43% for a pulsation flow rate of 4 l/min. Moreover, normalized velocity, vorticities, and particle deposition pattern in different regions of the main nasal cavity and maxillary sinuses are visualized and quantified. Due to the nosepiece placement in the right nostril, more particles penetrate into the right maxillary sinus than into the left maxillary sinus despite the maxillary ostium being larger in the left cavity. Lower pulsation flow rates such as 4 l/min improve the DE in the left maxillary sinus. The use of 3 µm particles enhances the DE in the right maxillary sinus as well as the overall total maxillary drug delivery.