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A three-dimensional model of the upper tracheobronchial tree

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Abstract

A new model of the upper tracheobronchial tree is proposed to account for the three-dimensional nature of the airway system. In addition to the tube length, the tube diameter, and the branching angle, the model includes information on the orientation angle of each tube relative to its parent tube. The orientation angle, defined as the angle between two successive bifurcations, is useful for calculating the gravitational inclination of each tube. The information on orientation angle is further used to construct a binary coding system for identifying individual tubes in the airway tree. The proposed model is asymmetrical, but the same principles can be readily used to construct a symmetrical one.

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Author notes

  1. Wen-Jia Russell Chen

    Present address: Department of Chemical Engineering, Ohio University, 45701, Athens, Ohio, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Syracuse University, 13210, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A.

    Wen-Jia Russell Chen, David Shii-Pyng Shiah & C. S. Wang

Authors
  1. Wen-Jia Russell Chen
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  2. David Shii-Pyng Shiah
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  3. C. S. Wang
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Chen, WJ.R., Shiah, D.SP. & Wang, C.S. A three-dimensional model of the upper tracheobronchial tree. Bltn Mathcal Biology 42, 847–859 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02461063

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02461063

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