Analysis of upper airway flow field between obstructive sleep apnea and normal children based on computational fluid dynamics

• Published in: Lin chuang er bi yan hou tou jing wai ke za zhi = Journal of clinical otorhinolaryngology, head, and neck surgery Vol. 35; no. 2; p. 141
• Main Authors: Guo, Yufeng, Su, Lijun, Cai, Huikun, Gao, Xingqiang, Wu, Xiaohui, Xue, Haoyang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.02.2021
• Subjects: Child; Humans; Hydrodynamics; Nasopharynx; Respiratory System; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive; sleep apnea, obstructive; computational fluid dynamics; adenoid hypertrophy; rhinomanometry; child
• ISSN: 2096-7993
• DOI: 10.13201/j.issn.2096-7993.2021.02.011

In this study, the characteristics of the upper airway flow field were analyzed by using computational fluid dynamics（CFD）. The study analyze the differences in the upper airway flow field between normal children and children with obstructive sleep apnea（OSA）, and the pathological characteristics of children with OSA were elaborated from the perspective of airway fluid dynamics. The upper airway models of a normal child and a child with OSA were constructed. The differences in the same inspiration pressure, such as airflow velocity, airflow pattern, ventilation volume, and pressure, were analyzed. To verify CFD results, rhinomanometry was carried out and an experimental bench based 3D technology was also built. The CFD results are consistent with the in vitro 3D model experiments and clinical measurement results. The adenoid area of nasopharynx is only 11.274 mm²of the child with OSA, about 1/6 of that of normal children. At the area of nasopharyngeal in OSA children, the flow velocity increased but the press