• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.511-518
• /
• 1998

In order to develop the aerosol bolus technique which is thought to be a potential tool for probing geometries or abnormalities of small airways, an experimental system of measuring fast time variations of particle concentration in the inhaled and exhaled breathing air was developed. The system generates monodisperse sebacic acrid particles of 1 micron size and 1.2 of geometric standard deviation in high concentration of $10^8$ particles/cc, delivers a short pulse of particles at the controlled instant during inhalation using a solenoid valve, and measures the fast change of particle concentration in using the laser light scattering. Successful operation of the generator and the measuring system was confirmed by smooth concentration profiles in inhalation. It was also confirmed that maintaining a constant breathing rate is essential to stable outputs and any disturbance in flow rate near the mode (maximum concentration) induces a large number of spurious peaks in the exhalation. Experimental data without strict control of breathing flow rate showed a substantial amount of scatter. The measured results showed an improvement in scatter over the existing results. When compared with theoretical predictions from 1-D convective diffusion equation and other experiments, general characteristics of dispersion for several penetration depths showed a good agreement, but there exists some difference in absolute values, which is attributed to the difference in body conditions. Improvements are needed in the theory, especially in relation to correcting for the effect of breathing flow rate.