Nasal airflows in deformed nasal cavity models

Several studies have utilized physical models of the healthy nasal cavity to investigate the relationship between nasal anatomy and airflow. With our experiences of experimental investigations on nasal airflows in normal and abnormal nasal cavity models, we are going to deal with the topic that may contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of nasal diseases. In this paper, airflows in the normal and artificially deformed models, which simulate surgical treatment, are investigated experimentally by PIV. High-resolution CT data and careful surface rendering of computational model with the help of the ENT doctor provide more sophisticated nasal cavity models. The CBC PIV (Correlation Based Correction PIV) algorithm with window offset is used for PIV flow analysis. Average and RMS distributions in sagittal and coronal sections are obtained for inspiratory and expiratory nasal airflows. Comparisons in nasal airflows for both normal and deformed cases are also appreciated. In case of simulations of surgical operations, velocity and RMS distributions in coronal section changes locally, this may cause some difficulties in physiologic functions of noses and may hurt mucosal surface.