A Feasible Computational Fluid Dynamics Study for Relationships of Structural and Functional Alterations with Particle Depositions in Severe Asthmatic Lungs

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effect of altered structures and functions in severe asthma on particle deposition by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. Airway geometrical models of two healthy subjects and two severe asthmatics were reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) images. Subject-specific flow boundary conditions were obtained by image registration to account for regional functional alterations of severe asthmatics. A large eddy simulation (LES) model for transitional and turbulent flows was applied to simulate airflows, and particle transport simulations were then performed for 2.5, 5, and 10 μm particles using CFD-predicted flow fields. Compared to the healthy subjects, the severe asthmatics had a smaller air-volume change in the lower lobes and a larger air-volume change in the upper lobes. Both severe asthmatics had smaller airway circularity (Cr), but one of them had a significant reduction of hydraulic diameter (Dh). In severe asthmatics, the larger air-volume change in the upper lobes resulted in more particles in the upper lobes, especially for the small 2.5 μm particles. The structural alterations measured by Cr and Dh were associated with a higher particle deposition. Dh was found to be the most important metric which affects the specific location of particle deposition. This study demonstrates the relationship of CT-based structural and functional alterations in severe asthma with flow and particle dynamics.