Abstract

Many respiratory conditions are hard to diagnose and the relationship between changes in airway geometry and breathing effort is not well understood. Whilst direct measurement of airflow within the airways is not possible, recent advances in medical imaging and CFD mean that simulation of the airflow may soon be a viable clinical diagnostic tool. This talk aims to map out the procedure of using CFD to generate clinically useful results, specific to each individual patient and capable of diagnosing a broad range of conditions. The flow regime within the airway is particularly interesting as it contains laminar, transitional and mildly turbulent flow, the transfer of heat, particles and different gases and is an unsteady process performed in non-rigid conduits. All of these factors must be considered in order to produce results which move our understanding of airway physiology forward.