Liu Yang, Mitchell Jennifer, Chen Yitung, Yim Woosoon, Chu Wenxiao, Wang Robert C
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada Las Vegas, United States.
School of Medicine, University of Nevada Reno, United States.
Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2018 Feb;249:54-61. doi: 10.1016/j.resp.2018.01.005. Epub 2018 Jan 6.
Up to 14% of the U.S. population is estimated to have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), while the outcomes of the treatments have variable results. In the current study, a three-dimensional fluid-structure interaction modeling was applied to simulate the upper airway to identify the precise location, severity, and characteristic of airway collapse. This was accomplished using Simpleware and ANSYS software applied to a 3-D rendering of the airway in a real patient with severe OSA. During this simulation, areas which are prone to collapse and precipitate apneic episodes were identified at the tip of the soft palate and the base of the tongue, with intrathoracic pressure as low as -1370 Pa. These results are consistent with anatomical structures currently indicated and targeted in the treatment of OSA. This improved FSI modeling simulation, which is the first to completely model the whole upper airway without consideration of the nasal cavity in OSA, and can allow virtual modification of the airway prior to actual treatment by doctors.
据估计，美国高达14%的人口患有阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA），而治疗结果却各不相同。在当前的研究中，应用三维流固耦合建模来模拟上呼吸道，以确定气道塌陷的精确位置、严重程度和特征。这是通过将Simpleware和ANSYS软件应用于一名患有严重OSA的真实患者气道的三维渲染来实现的。在该模拟过程中，发现软腭尖端和舌根处容易塌陷并引发呼吸暂停发作，胸腔内压力低至-1370 Pa。这些结果与目前OSA治疗中所指出的解剖结构和目标一致。这种改进的流固耦合建模模拟首次在不考虑鼻腔的情况下对整个上呼吸道进行了完整建模，并且医生在实际治疗前可以对气道进行虚拟修改。
