Computational Fluid Dynamics in the assessment of nasal obstruction in children

Nasal obstruction is a highly subjective symptom. It can be evaluated by combining clinical examination, imaging and functional measurements such as active anterior rhinomanometry (AAR). In pediatrics, AAR is often impossible because it requires the participation of the child. Airflow modeling by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been developed since the early 1990s, mostly in adults. This study is the first to describe a methodology of "numerical rhinomanometry" in children using CFD and to evaluate the feasibility and the clinical interest of this new tool.

Five children aged from 8 to 15 years, complaining of nasal obstruction, underwent routine management including clinical evaluation, AAR, and CT-scanning. CT acquisitions were used for CFD calculations and numerical rhinomanometry.

In the 5 children, the results of CFD were concordant with clinical complaints and examination. In 3 children, AAR and CFD were concordant. In one patient, CFD corrected the results of AAR. In one patient, AAR was not feasible, unlike CFD, which contributed to diagnosis. This study highlighted the feasibility of CFD in children and that it can support or refute diagnosis of nasal obstruction with good reliability. These results indicate that CFD modeling could be widely used for functional exploration in pediatric rhinology.