Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Med Eng Phys. 2009 Dec;31(10):1343-8. doi: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2009.08.006. Epub 2009 Sep 10.
This study presents a new computational system for modeling the upper airway in rats that combines tagged magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with tissue material properties to predict three-dimensional (3D) airway motion. The model is capable of predicting airway wall and tissue deformation under airway pressure loading up to airway collapse. The model demonstrates that oropharynx collapse pressure depends primarily on ventral wall (tongue muscle) elastic modulus and airway architecture. An iterative approach that involves substituting alternative possible tissue elastic moduli was used to improve model precision. The proposed 3D model accounts for stress-strain relationships in the complex upper airway that should present new opportunities for understanding pathogenesis of airway collapse, improving diagnosis and developing treatments.
本研究提出了一种新的计算系统，用于对大鼠的上呼吸道进行建模，该系统结合了带标记的磁共振成像 (MRI) 和组织材料特性，以预测三维 (3D) 气道运动。该模型能够预测气道压力加载下的气道壁和组织变形，直到气道塌陷。该模型表明，口咽塌陷压力主要取决于腹侧壁（舌肌）弹性模量和气道结构。采用迭代方法，用替代可能的组织弹性模量来提高模型精度。所提出的 3D 模型考虑了复杂上呼吸道中的应力-应变关系，这应该为理解气道塌陷的发病机制、改善诊断和开发治疗方法提供新的机会。
