EVALUATION OF PARTICLE DEPOSITION EFFICIENCY FOR SUITABLE CONDITIONS OF LARYNGEAL NEBULIZATION THERAPY

• Published in: JIBI INKOKA TEMBO Vol. 41; no. Supplement1; pp. 8 - 12
• Main Authors: Takano, Hiroshi, Kanemura, Yukinori, Nishina, Shuji, Ito, Masayuki, Hyo, Noboru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Society of Oto-rhino-laryngology Tokyo 1998
• Subjects: aerosol inhalation therapy; laryngeal nebulizer; larynx model; particle deposition efficiency; respiratory patterns
• ISSN: 0386-9687; 1883-6429
• DOI: 10.11453/orltokyo1958.41.Supplement1_8

To determine suitable conditions for aerosol inhalation therapy, particle deposition efficiency especially at the larynx was investigated by using a modified larynx model with the epiglottis and vocal cords. The particle deposition has been analyzed intensively at different angles of glottal aperture, breathing flow patterns, and particle diameters. From the numerical results, the particle deposition efficiency at the vocal cords was found to obviously dependent on those parameters, and show the maximum at the particle diameter of 8-10 micrometer when breathing was shallow and the angle of glottal aperture was narrow. However, at a wider angle of glottal aperture, large amount of inhaled particles was transferred into the lower airway, and the particle deposition efficiency at the epiglottis varied slightly with the height of the epiglottis. In conclusion, when considering the same tendency observed between several numerical analyses mentioned above and the experimental results obtained using mono-dispersed carbon particles, this modified larynx model is proposed for qualitative evaluation of local deposition efficiency of inhaled particles.