3D FE Model Reconstruction and Numerical Simulation of Airflow in Human Upper Airway for the Healthy Person and Patient with OSAHS

Based on the data which came from the spiral Computerized Tomography (CT) images of the healthy person and patient with Obstructive Sleep Apnea- Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS), the three-dimensional models of upper airway cavity were reconstructed by the method of surface rendering. The reconstruction three-dimensional models precisely preserve original configuration of upper airways, and the airflow of the whole cavity is simulated numerically and analyzed by the finite element method. The results of the pressure and velocity distributions in the airflow field are quantitatively determined. Pressure gradients of airway are lower in the healthy person, the airflow distribution is quite uniform with free breath, and however, the patient with OSAHS remarkably escalates both the pressure and velocity of the upper airway. The present study is useful the quantitative mutual relationship between configuration and function in the upper airway, pathogenesis and diagnosing the diseases related to the anatomical structure and the function of upper airway.