Comparative study of the effects of acute asthma in relation to a recovered airway tree on airflow patterns

Two computational models of the airway tree six generations deep were reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) scans from a single patient. The reconstructed models were used to investigate the effects of acute asthma on the airflow patterns, the pressure drop, and the implications it has on targeted drug delivery by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Comparisons in the geometry found that bifurcation angles do not vary significantly between the two models; however small changes were observed which may be due to the physical scans of the patient taken at different times. The inhalation effort to overcome airway resistance in the asthma affected model was twice as high as that for the recovered model. It was also found that airflow patterns were significantly different between both models especially in regions where the effects of asthma were significant.