Midpalatal corticotomy-assisted rapid maxillary expansion (MCRME) is a minimally invasive treatment of maxillary transverse deficiency (MTD) in young adults. However, the effect of MCRME on respiratory function still needs to be determined. In this study, we evaluated the changes in maxillary morphology and the upper airway following MCRME using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Twenty patients with MTD (8 males, 12 females; mean age 20.55 years) had cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images taken before and after MCRME. The CBCT data were used to construct a three-dimensional (3D) upper airway model. The upper airway flow characteristics were simulated using CFD, and measurements were made based on the CBCT images and CFD. The results showed that the widths of the palatal bone and nasal cavity, and the intermolar width were increased significantly after MCRME. The volume of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx increased significantly, while there were no obvious changes in the volumes of the oropharynx and hypopharynx. CFD simulation of the upper airway showed that the pressure drop and maximum velocity of the upper airway decreased significantly after treatment. Our results suggest that in these young adults with MTD, increasing the maxillary width, upper airway volume, and quantity of airflow by MCRME substantially improved upper airway ventilation.

Lung cancer ranks the first cancer-related morbidity and mortality in China. With the development and penetration of imaging technology, increasing small pulmonary peripheral Nodules (SPPNs) have been detected. However, precise location and diagnosis of SPPNs is still a tough problem for clinical diagnosis and treatment in department of thoracic surgery. With the development of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB), it provides a novel minimally invasive method for the diagnosis and treatment of SPPNs. In this review, we summarized the application and progress of ENB in preoperative positioning, diagnosis, and local treatment, then, discussed the clinical application of ENB in the hybrid operating room.
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Bronchoscopy/methods* ; Electromagnetic Phenomena ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules/diagnosis* ; Thoracic Surgery