Article,
Airway wall mechanics
ANNUAL REVIEW OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, (1999)
DOI: {10.1146/annurev.bioeng.1.1.47}
Abstract
The dimensions, composition, and stiffness of the airway wall are
important determinants of airway cross-sectional area during dynamic
collapse in a forced expiration or when airway smooth muscle is
constricted. Under these circumstances, airway caliber is determined by
an interaction between the forces acting to open the airway (parenchymal
tension and wall stiffness) and those acting to close it (smooth-muscle
force and surface tension at the inner gas-liquid interface).
Experimental measurements and theoretical models of the airway tube law
(relationship between cross-sectional area and transmural pressure) are
presented. Data are presented for the elastic properties of the wall
tissue. Simulations of airway constriction in normal and asthmatic
airways are discussed. To the extent possible, comparisons are presented
between the various models and existing experimental data.
