Recently, Professor Guoxi Zheng, Associate Researcher Ya Zhang, and Professor Jingliang Dong from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, along with their interdisciplinary team, have successfully predicted the optimal particle size for nebulized drug delivery following middle turbinate surgery. They achieved this through a combination of computational fluid dynamics simulations based on imaging data and in vitro biomimetic experiments. Their relevant research findings have been published in Rhinology.
Previous studies have shown that even with standard treatment, the recurrence rate of chronic sinusitis two years after surgery can still be as high as 55.3%. Due to the narrow and curved nature of the nasal valve region, traditional nasal spray devices can only deliver drugs to the anterior one-third of the nasal cavity, making it difficult to reach the middle turbinate and the complex region of the sinus nasal passage where mucosal inflammation associated with sinusitis is concentrated. Currently, the lack of precise evaluation methods for the deposition and distribution of particles in the nasal cavity hinders the development of nasal drug delivery devices in China. This research outcome highlights the superiority of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing complex medical issues and demonstrates the significant potential of nasal aerodynamics methods in designing sinusitis surgery and improving postoperative drug delivery efficiency. It reflects the research level of the Second Affiliated Hospital in the field of upper respiratory biomechanics and establishes mature and effective mechanisms for international research collaboration and interdisciplinary talent cultivation.
Title: Differential Nasal Turbinate Surgery and Aerosol Deposition Efficiency of Different Drug Particle Sizes
Research Paper Information: https://doi.org/10.4193/Rhin23.265
