Improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom-based computational model

Abstract Aerosol deposition in the human respiratory tract significantly impacts drug delivery, pollutant exposure, and radiological protection. While existing models, such as the Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) and the Human Respiratory Tract Model (HRTM) from International Commission on Ra...

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Main Authors: Riya Dey, Hemant K. Patni, S. Anand
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86458-1
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author Riya Dey
Hemant K. Patni
S. Anand
author_facet Riya Dey
Hemant K. Patni
S. Anand
author_sort Riya Dey
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Aerosol deposition in the human respiratory tract significantly impacts drug delivery, pollutant exposure, and radiological protection. While existing models, such as the Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) and the Human Respiratory Tract Model (HRTM) from International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) provide valuable insights, their reliance on simplified geometries and flow dynamics, limits their ability to accurately predict particle deposition within realistic anatomies. This study integrates Mesh-type Reference Computational Phantoms (MRCPs) with computational fluid-particle dynamics (CFPD) to address these limitations. Our simulations reveal the influence of complex anatomical features, including nasal cavity, trachea, and bronchial regions, on aerosol deposition patterns. For ambient aerosol particles in the diffusion-dominated regime (< 0.5 μm), CFPD results reveal enhanced nasal deposition fractions than ICRP predictions, while, above this size, the ICRP semi-empirical model shows overestimations. In the extrathoracic (ET) airways, deposition distribution varied significantly between ET1 and ET2, with ET2 receiving 65–75% of deposits (near the junction of ET1 and ET2) under certain flow conditions. In the bronchial bifurcation (BB1), deposition efficiency varies with Stokes number and Reynolds number, revealing localized preferential deposition. These findings enhance our understanding of aerosol behaviour and paves the way for more accurate therapeutic and safety models in radiological protection.
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spelling doaj-art-bf00cbcc7dbe4e64aac871cf00e5b4f32025-08-20T03:13:57ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111810.1038/s41598-025-86458-1Improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom-based computational modelRiya Dey0Hemant K. Patni1S. Anand2Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research CentreRadiation Safety Systems Division, Bhabha Atomic Research CentreHealth Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research CentreAbstract Aerosol deposition in the human respiratory tract significantly impacts drug delivery, pollutant exposure, and radiological protection. While existing models, such as the Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) and the Human Respiratory Tract Model (HRTM) from International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) provide valuable insights, their reliance on simplified geometries and flow dynamics, limits their ability to accurately predict particle deposition within realistic anatomies. This study integrates Mesh-type Reference Computational Phantoms (MRCPs) with computational fluid-particle dynamics (CFPD) to address these limitations. Our simulations reveal the influence of complex anatomical features, including nasal cavity, trachea, and bronchial regions, on aerosol deposition patterns. For ambient aerosol particles in the diffusion-dominated regime (< 0.5 μm), CFPD results reveal enhanced nasal deposition fractions than ICRP predictions, while, above this size, the ICRP semi-empirical model shows overestimations. In the extrathoracic (ET) airways, deposition distribution varied significantly between ET1 and ET2, with ET2 receiving 65–75% of deposits (near the junction of ET1 and ET2) under certain flow conditions. In the bronchial bifurcation (BB1), deposition efficiency varies with Stokes number and Reynolds number, revealing localized preferential deposition. These findings enhance our understanding of aerosol behaviour and paves the way for more accurate therapeutic and safety models in radiological protection.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86458-1
spellingShingle Riya Dey
Hemant K. Patni
S. Anand
Improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom-based computational model
Scientific Reports
title Improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom-based computational model
title_full Improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom-based computational model
title_fullStr Improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom-based computational model
title_full_unstemmed Improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom-based computational model
title_short Improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom-based computational model
title_sort improved aerosol deposition predictions in human upper respiratory tract using coupled mesh phantom based computational model
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86458-1
work_keys_str_mv AT riyadey improvedaerosoldepositionpredictionsinhumanupperrespiratorytractusingcoupledmeshphantombasedcomputationalmodel
AT hemantkpatni improvedaerosoldepositionpredictionsinhumanupperrespiratorytractusingcoupledmeshphantombasedcomputationalmodel
AT sanand improvedaerosoldepositionpredictionsinhumanupperrespiratorytractusingcoupledmeshphantombasedcomputationalmodel