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Eighteen Petri dishes as seen in coronal section on a T1 weighted MRI with the gadolinium uptake shown in white on the surface of various agar gel plates (agar gel used to mimic nasal mucosa).
Intranasal corticosteroid (INCS) sprays are a key component of pre and postoperative treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Current devices for INCS delivery do not achieve optimal distribution of the medication within the complex volume of the postoperative sinonasal cavity. This inefficient delivery is likely to reflect a combination of suboptimal particle size, inhalational flow and release velocity.
This project aims initially to determine the optimal variables for INCS delivery utilising computational fluid dynamic modelling. The results derived from the computer generated model will then be tested in vitro using a 3D printed model of a postoperative sinus cavity.
Once the optimal physical variables have been confirmed, we will then use a novel MRI technique to demonstrate the pattern of distribution of INCS in vivo. Finally a clinical trial is planned using a newly developed device that allows for the administration of aerosolized solution into the sinonasal cavity of differing particle sizes, release velocities and pulse frequencies.