Airflow and temperature distribution inside the maxillary sinus: A computational fluid dynamics simulation

Abstract

Conclusion: The airflow velocity and flux in maxillary sinuses were much lower than those in the nasal cavity, and the temperature in maxillary sinuses was much higher than the temperature in the middle meatus. With the increase of maximum diameter of the ostium, the above indices changed little. Objectives: The purpose of the paper was to investigate, first, the flow and temperature distribution inside normal maxillary sinus in inspiration, and second, flow and temperature alteration with the increase of maximum ostium diameter. Methods: Three-dimensional models with nasal cavities and bilateral maxillary sinuses were constructed for computational fluid dynamics analysis. Virtual surgeries were implemented for the maxillary ostium, the maximum diameters of which were 8, 10, 12, and 15 mm, respectively. The finite volume method was used for numerical simulation. The indices of velocity, pressure, vector, and temperature were processed and compared between models. Results: The airflow velocity in maxillary sinuses (average velocity 0.062 m/s) was much lower than that in the middle meatus (average velocity 3.26 m/s). With the increase of ostium diameter, airflow characteristics distributed in the maxillary sinuses changed little. The normal temperature in the maxillary sinus remained almost constant at 34°C and changed little with the increase of ostium diameter.

Keywords::

• Virtual surgery
• middle meatus
• ostium
• inspiration

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 10902022) and Beijing Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 7100002).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.