Computed intranasal spray penetration: comparisons before and after nasal surgery

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Pharmacology
• Otorhinolaryngology

Background:

• Quantitative methods for assessing intranasal drug delivery efficiency are underutilized.
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can evaluate spray penetration before and after nasal surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate aqueous nasal spray penetration efficiencies using CFD.
• To compare pre- and postoperative delivery after surgical correction of intranasal deformities.

Main Methods:

• Created 10 3D nasal cavity models from CT scans (5 subjects, pre- and post-surgery).
• Simulated spray delivery (10-110 μm particles, 3 m/s, 68° plume angle) under resting inspiratory flow.
• Compared two nozzle positions and analyzed data using Student t test.

Main Results:

• Posterior particle deposition increased 118% (p=0.036) and anterior deposition decreased 13% (p=0.020) on the obstructed side post-surgery.
• Less than 5% of particles bypassed airways pre- or post-surgery.
• Nozzle position influenced spray delivery outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Surgical correction of nasal deformities can enhance medication penetration to targeted areas.
• Post-surgery, particle deposition is more evenly distributed between nasal airways.
• Correcting nasal deformities may optimize intranasal medication delivery; exploring nozzle positions can further improve penetration.