A 3D dynamic biomechanical swallowing model for training and diagnosis of dysphagia

Abstract

We present a three dimensional (3D) biomechanical swallowing model of the oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal (OPAL) muscles and structures. Such modeling may aid in predicting functional outcomes in swallowing disorder (i.e. dysphagia) treatment and could significantly reduce therapy time. Our physics-based model captures the OPAL anatomical geometries and kinematics from 2D animations constructed from video-fluoroscopic (VF) evaluations of real patient swallowing events using the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP™©) protocol. We investigate the upper airway dynamics with these clinically accurate kinematics and geometries. We use smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) modeling of water-like and nectar-like fluid boluses, simulated within an airway-skin mesh that encompasses our modeled 3D structures and follows the model's dynamics. We demonstrate that our model can simulate a bolus in a manner consistent with clinical data, and can robustly handle fluid with different viscosity incorporating a wide range of moving boundary conditions.