Aerosol Inhalation in the Rat Lung Part II: Theoretical Predictions of Particle Deposition Patterns

ABSTRACT Theoretical predictions of total, regional and local deposition fractions of inhaled particles are based on the complete stochastic model of the rat lung presented in Part I (Koblinger et al., 1995). Deposition patterns of inhaled particles ranging from 0.01 to 10 μm diameter are computed for two stochastic rat lung models differing only in their respective tracheobronchial morphometries. Deposition fractions based on the two stochastic morphometric models are compared to corresponding results utilizing the deterministic lung model of Yeh et al. (1979) as well as to the available experimental evidence. In contrast to the simulations with the presently used deterministic model of the rat lung and our previous stochastic model of the human lung, the differential distributions of deposited matter throughout the rat airway system are expressed as functions of the airway diameter, which permits a more realistic description of the rather monopodial structure of the rat lung.