Analysis of the Effects of MARME Treatment on Respiratory Flow Using the Lattice-Boltzmann Method

摘要

Transverse maxillary deficiency is a common pathological condition. Patients suffering from this pathology often have narrowed airways compared to healthy humans. To cure such an anatomic defective position, a new method, the Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Maxillary Expansion (MARME), has been developed. In previous studies, the effects of this treatment on respirat ion have been analyzed by examining the volume of a nasal cavity and the corresponding nasopharynx before and after treatment. In this study the fluid mechanical effects of MARME treatment on the respiratory flow and on the breathing capability are analyzed numerically. The realistic three-dimensional geometries of the nasal cavity employed for the simulation are reconstructed from Computer Tomography images. The flow within these geometries is simulated using a thermal Lattice-Boltzmann method. The results confirm that the respiratory resistance and the average wall-shear stress decrease after the MARME treatment. The heating capability, however, deteriorates.