Mechanical and Optical Dynamic Model of Lung

• Published in: IEEE transactions on biomedical engineering Vol. 58; no. 10; pp. 3012 - 3015
• Main Authors: Gouldstone, Andrew, Caner, Nazli, Swedish, Tristan B., Kalkhoran, Salmon M., DiMarzio, Charles A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01-10-2011; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Alveoli; Biomedical optical imaging; Computational modeling; indentation; lung; Lungs; Medical imaging; Models, Biological; optical coherence tomography (OCT); Optical distortion; Optical imaging; Optical scattering; Pulmonary Alveoli - anatomy & histology; Pulmonary Alveoli - physiology; Respiratory Mechanics - physiology; Studies; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods
• ISSN: 0018-9294; 1558-2531
• DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2011.2160346

A multiscale, multiphysics model generates synthetic images of alveolar compression under spherical indentation at the visceral pleura of an inflated lung. A mechanical model connects the millimeter scale of an indenter tip to the behavior of alveoli, walls, and membrane at the micrometer scale. A finite-difference model of optical coherence tomography (OCT) generates the resulting images. Results show good agreement with the experiments performed using a unique indenter-OCT system. The images depict the physical result with the addition of refractive artifacts and speckle. Compression of the alveoli alters the refractive effects, which introduce systematic errors in the computation of alveolar volume. The complete computational model is useful to evaluate new proposed imaging instrumentation and to develop algorithms for obtaining quantitative data on deformation. Among the potential applications, a better understanding of recruitment of alveoli during inflation of a lung, obtained through a combination of models and imaging could lead to improvements in noninvasive treatment of atelectasis.