HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free All Versions of this Article: 103/3/1082    most recent 01118.2006v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Garcia, G. J. M. Articles by Kimbell, J. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Garcia, G. J. M. Articles by Kimbell, J. S.

TRANSLATIONAL PHYSIOLOGY

Atrophic rhinitis: a CFD study of air conditioning in the nasal cavity

¹The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; ²Queens University, Belfast, United Kingdom; and ³Hospital Santa Casa, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

Submitted 4 October 2006 ; accepted in final form 10 June 2007

ABSTRACT

Atrophic rhinitis is a chronic disease of the nasal mucosa. The disease is characterized by abnormally wide nasal cavities, and its main symptoms are dryness, crusting, atrophy, fetor, and a paradoxical sensation of nasal congestion. The etiology of the disease remains unknown. Here, we propose that excessive evaporation of the mucous layer is the basis for the relentless nature of this disease. Airflow and water and heat transport were simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The nasal geometry of an atrophic rhinitis patient was acquired from computed tomography scans before and after a procedure to narrow the nasal cavity. Simulations of air conditioning in the atrophic nose were compared with similar computations performed within the nasal geometries of four healthy humans. The excessively wide cavity of the patient generated abnormal flow patterns, which led to abnormal patterns of water fluxes across the wall. Geometrically, the atrophic nose had a much lower surface area than the healthy nasal passages, which increased water fluxes per unit area. Nevertheless, the simulations indicated that the atrophic nose did not condition inspired air as effectively as the healthy geometries. These simulations of water transport in the nasal cavity are consistent with the hypothesis that excessive evaporation of mucus plays a key role in the pathophysiology of atrophic rhinitis. We conclude that the main goals of a surgery to treat atrophic rhinitis should be 1) to restore the original surface area of the nose, 2) to restore the physiological airflow distribution, and 3) to create symmetric cavities.

nasal physiology; empty nose syndrome; ozena; computational fluid dynamics simulations; human nose; nasal epithelium

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D.J Doorly, D.J Taylor, A.M Gambaruto, R.C Schroter, and N Tolley Nasal architecture: form and flow Phil Trans R Soc A, September 28, 2008; 366(1879): 3225 - 3246. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]