The Influence of Asymmetric Space Filling in the Human Lung

This paper will present a comparison in terms of respiratory impedance values, between a symmetric morphologic structure and an asymmetric structure of the airways. The model of the respiratory tree is introduced as a recurrent, fractal structure. The intrinsic properties posed by such a system affect directly the respiratory impedance, in a frequency dependent manner. It is therefore important to determine the range of frequencies where these influences are minimal, thus to reduce the effects of inter-patient variability. The results are analyzed by means of complex impedance and Bode plots, on a wide range of frequencies.