Numerical study of the effect of nasopharynx airway obstruction on the transport and deposition of nanoparticles in nasal airways

Although there is abundant literature for both experimental and numerical studies of respiratory aerosol exposure in nasal airways, research efforts concentrating on diseased cavities undergoing pathological changes remain significantly less. This paper presents a comparative study pre- post-operative airway models based 3-year-old cavity model with severe nasopharynx obstruction due to the presence adenoid hypertrophy. By numerically comparing airflow dynamics nanoparticle deposition characteristics original healthy models, our results demonstrated that can induce biased flow distribution main passage, despite site located downstream airway. In addition, regional particle analysis revealed affected area receive better delivery after receiving surgical treatment (adenoidectomy) restored normal fields. More importantly, ventilation improvements were achieved olfactory region model, which indicates more promising drug using nanoparticles. Research findings are expected provide scientific evidence adenoidectomy planning intranasal therapy, substantially improve present clinical outcomes.