Numerical analysis of airflow alteration in central airways following tracheobronchial stent placement.

The computational fluid dynamics method, which provides an estimation of the pressure drop in the airway before and after the stent implantation, is proposed in this study. This method is based on the finite volume model. The pressure field was solved by the Navier-Stokes equations. The proposed methodology was evaluated in seven health people (control group) and in fourteen patients who were assigned in two groups, in which one was tracheal stenosis and the other was bronchial stenosis. The results showed that the pressure drop after tracheal stent implantation became significantly smaller. For bronchial stent implantation cases, the airway resistance improved insignificantly.