Role of Topological Heterogeneity on the Fate of Inhaled Aerosols in the Pulmonary Acinus

Pulmonary flows, and ultimately inhaled aerosol transport and deposition, in the acinar region are intrinsically coupled with the local morphology of the airways and alveolar cavities (Hofemeier and Sznitman, 2015). Hence, capturing the complexity and heterogeneity of the acinar environment is of upmost importance for the prediction of realistic aerosol deposition outcomes. Recently, Koshiyama and Wada (2015) introduced a mathematical algorithm to generate acinar networks with space-filling heterogeneous alveolar structures, which reproduce in vivo environments. Here, we utilize for the first time such acinar models as the basis for numerical simulations of respiratory acinar flows and entailing particle transport. We aim to unravel on the role of spatial acinar heterogeneity on particle deposition fate, as a function of inhaled particle diameter. The present studies are a first step towards predicting realistic acinar deposition patterns indicative for whole lung statistics as well as inter-acinar differences.