dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaPhysical modelling of the airflow-walls interactions to understand the sleep apnea syndrome
| Authors | Yohan Payan, Xavier Pelorson, Pascal Perrier |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0606219 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0606219 |
| Journal | Lecture notes in computer science (LNCS) 2673 (2003) 261-269 |
Abstract
Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS) is defined as a partial or total closure of the patient upper airways during sleep. The term "collapsus" (or collapse) is used to describe this closure. From a fluid mechanical point of view, this collapse can be understood as a spectacular example of fluid-walls interaction. Indeed, the upper airways are delimited in their largest part by soft tissues having different geometrical and mechanical properties: velum, tongue and pharyngeal walls. Airway closure during SAS comes from the interaction between these soft tissues and the inspiratory flow. The aim of this work is to understand the physical phenomena at the origin of the collapsus and the metamorphosis in inspiratory flow pattern that has been reported during SAS. Indeed, a full comprehension of the physical conditions allowing this phenomenon is a prerequisite to be able to help in the planning of the surgical gesture that can be prescribed for the patients. The work presented here focuses on a simple model of fluid-walls interactions. The equations governing the airflow inside a constriction are coupled with a Finite Element (FE) biomechanical model of the velum. The geometries of this model is extracted from a single midsagittal radiography of a patient. The velar deformations induced by airflow interactions are computed, presented, discussed and compared to measurements collected onto an experimental setup.
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"abstract": "Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS) is defined as a partial or total closure of the\npatient upper airways during sleep. The term \"collapsus\" (or collapse) is used\nto describe this closure. From a fluid mechanical point of view, this collapse\ncan be understood as a spectacular example of fluid-walls interaction. Indeed,\nthe upper airways are delimited in their largest part by soft tissues having\ndifferent geometrical and mechanical properties: velum, tongue and pharyngeal\nwalls. Airway closure during SAS comes from the interaction between these soft\ntissues and the inspiratory flow. The aim of this work is to understand the\nphysical phenomena at the origin of the collapsus and the metamorphosis in\ninspiratory flow pattern that has been reported during SAS. Indeed, a full\ncomprehension of the physical conditions allowing this phenomenon is a\nprerequisite to be able to help in the planning of the surgical gesture that\ncan be prescribed for the patients. The work presented here focuses on a simple\nmodel of fluid-walls interactions. The equations governing the airflow inside a\nconstriction are coupled with a Finite Element (FE) biomechanical model of the\nvelum. The geometries of this model is extracted from a single midsagittal\nradiography of a patient. The velar deformations induced by airflow\ninteractions are computed, presented, discussed and compared to measurements\ncollected onto an experimental setup.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0606219",
"authors": [
"Yohan Payan",
"Xavier Pelorson",
"Pascal Perrier"
],
"categories": [
"physics.med-ph"
],
"journal_ref": "Lecture notes in computer science (LNCS) 2673 (2003) 261-269",
"title": "Physical modelling of the airflow-walls interactions to understand the sleep apnea syndrome",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0606219"
},
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