Influence of lung physical properties on its flow--volume curves using a detailed multi-scale mathematical model of the lung

TL;DR

This paper introduces a detailed multi-scale mathematical lung model that estimates airflow and pressure, revealing how lung properties influence flow-volume curves and potentially aiding diagnosis.

Contribution

A novel multi-scale lung model that independently estimates airflow and pressure, incorporating air-tissue interactions and enabling rapid analysis of flow-volume curves.

Findings

Flow-volume curves are affected by airway obstruction and lung compliance.

The model allows quasi-instantaneous simulation of lung mechanics.

Analysis of flow-volume curves can reveal internal lung phenomena.

Abstract

We develop a mathematical model of the lung that can estimate independently the air flows and pressures in the upper bronchi. It accounts for the lung multi-scale properties and for the air-tissue interactions. The model equations are solved using the Discrete Fourier Transform, which allows quasi instantaneous solving, in the limit of the model hypotheses. With this model, we explore how the air flow--volume curves are affected by airways obstruction or by change in lung compliance. Our work suggests that a fine analysis of the flow-volume curves might bring information about the inner phenomena occurring in the lung.