Evaluation of the Upper Airway in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Undergoing Adenoidectomy Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Adenoidectomy is a common surgical procedure performed on children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Owing to lack of objective data, the studies on evaluation postoperative outcomes have been limited. The present study takes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach to assessing postoperative effect in children with OSA undergoing adenoidectomy by comparison of the flow field characteristics between postoperative with preoperative upper airway. The computational fluid dynamics models were constructed using raw data from preoperative and postoperative computed tomogram images of three children with OSA. Considering three-dimensional transient turbulent flow in the airway, flow field was solved for a cycle of normal breathing. The simulation results are validated by the clinical measurements and results in literature. It is shown that the airflow patterns in postoperative nasopharyngeal airway are significantly different from preoperative subjects. The resistance in nasopharyngeal passage can be an objective parameter to evaluate the treatment effects.