鼻腔气流阻塞与几种疾病有关,如更高的通畅性,粘膜壁或所谓的小区域的摩擦增加,空调不当,打鼾。经常使用鼻扩张器,主要是由于它们易于访问和使用,结合其非永久性和非手术性。他们的整体功效,然而,到目前为止还没有得到明确的证明,一些研究报告了相互矛盾的结果,主要是因为基于主观评价。本研究采用计算流体动力学模拟来分析真实鼻子内部的流动,对鼻扩张器在气流和空调方面的效果进行客观评估,报告流路径,摩擦水平,热和水通量以及详细的温度和湿度分布。巧合的是,被研究的鼻子出现间隔偏差,一个鼻孔比另一个鼻孔宽。两个鼻孔中使用的扩张器的管子是相同的,与任何标准的商业扩张器。因此,扩张器扩大了一个鼻孔,按照预期,但导致另一个障碍。这允许同时解决两种情况,扩张器的标称功能,以及一个非设计案例。结果表明,在设计情况下,鼻腔通畅性增加了24%。效果,然而,是有限的,通过适当的措施量化,例如在鼻部表面的流动产生的摩擦和温度通量。因此,这种扩张器在标称条件下的影响可能没有希望的那么大。在非设计情况下,鼻阻力增加62%,不良的效果,说明使用不合适的扩张器的后果。
Nasal airflow obstruction correlates with several ailments, such as higher patency, increased friction at the mucosal wall or the so-called Little\'s area, improper air conditioning, and snoring. Nasal dilators are frequently employed, mainly due to their ease of access and use, combined with their non-permanent and non-surgical nature. Their overall efficacy, however, has not been clearly demonstrated so far, with some studies reporting conflicting outcomes, mainly because being based on subjective evaluations. This study employs Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations to analyze the flow inside a real nose, performs an objective assessment of a nasal dilator\'s effect in terms of airflow and air conditioning, reporting flow paths, friction levels, heat and water fluxes and detailed temperature and humidity distributions. Coincidentally, the studied nose presents a septal deviation, with one nostril being wider than the other. The tubes of the dilator used in both nostrils are identical, as with any standard commercial dilator. Consequently, the dilator widens one nostril, as intended, but results in an obstruction in the other. This allows simultaneously addressing two situations, the nominal function of the dilator, as well as an off-design case. Results indicate a 24 % increase in nasal patency in the design situation. The effect, however, is limited, as quantified by appropriate measures, such as the flow-generated friction at the nose surfaces and the temperature fluxes. Hence, the effect of such a dilator in nominal conditions is perhaps not as large as might be hoped. In the off-design situation, nasal resistance increases by 62 %, an undesirable effect, illustrating the consequences of using an inappropriate dilator.