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Updated: Aug 8, 2025

Evaluating Regional Pulmonary Deposition using Patient-Specific 3D Printed Lung Models
Published on: November 11, 2020
Deposition and Clinical Impact of Inhaled Particles in the Lung
Pere Casan Clarà1, Francisco Rodríguez Jerez2, José Belda Ramírez3
1Universidad de Oviedo, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Fundación para la Investigación y la Innovación Biosanitaria de Asturias (FINBA), Oviedo, Spain.
Abstract:
Particles suspended in the air we breathe are deposited in the airways as a function of the properties of the particle itself (shape, size and hydration), inspiratory air flow, airway anatomy, breathing environment, and mucociliary clearance. The scientific study of the deposition of inhaled particles in the airways has been conducted using traditional mathematical models and imaging techniques with particle markers. In recent years, the integration of statistical and computer methods, giving rise to a new discipline called digital microfluidics, has led to significant advances. In routine clinical practice, these studies are of great use for optimizing inhaler devices in line with particular characteristics of the drug to be inhaled and the pathology of the patient.
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