鼻腔内熱流動ボクセル解析における横断面医療画像二次元補間の有効性

Nasal air flow and temperature were analyzed using a voxel model constructed directly from medical images. The nasal cavities of a healthy male were reconstructed using CT slices in the axial direction at an image resolution of 0.488 mm/pixel and a slice interval of 0.40 mm. The rough surfaces in the image, which were caused by the resolution, were smoothed using a bilinear interpolation algorithm. A voxel-based simulation of inspiratory flow was then performed with a voxel pitch of 0.20 mm. With an interpolation image resolution of 0.163 mm//pixel, the voxel model successfully simulated an overall pressure drop and airflow temperature to the same extent as the conventional boundary-fitted model.