Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a respiratory disease characterized by the upper airway collapses and reopens repeatedly during sleep. Though the nerve control plays a key role in the upper airway collapse, it has been considered in previous studies only with lumped parameter models. Based on a finite element model including airway and surrounding structures, the effect of nerve control on the upper airway collapse was studied with fluid-structure interaction method. Spring elements were used to simulate the function of the muscle group. The simulation results show that the nerve control reduces the deformation of airway successfully and avoids the risk of OSAS.
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This study was supported by Beijing Natural Sciences Foundation (Nos. 7133248 and 3122020).
Recommended by Guest Editor Yang Song
Qi-Guo Rong received the B. Sc. and M. Sc. degrees from Peking University, China, in 1990 and 1994, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from University of Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2002. He is currently an associate professor at Peking University, China.
His research interests include biomechanics and medical engineering.
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9209-730X
Shuang Ren received the B. Sc. degree from China Medical University, China, in 2011. Currently, she is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science at Peking University, China.
Her research interests include biomechanics and medical engineering.
Qi-Hong Li received the B. Sc. M. Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Stomatology from Fourth Military Medical University, China, in 2006, 2008 and 2012, respectively. Currently, he is a dentist in the Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, China.
His research interests include orthodontics and biomechanics.
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Rong, QG., Ren, S. & Li, QH. Numerical study on the effect of nerve control on upper airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea. Int. J. Autom. Comput. 13, 117–124 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-015-0933-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-015-0933-7