Estimation of the peeling strength of lung pleura using finite element analysis

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax occurs when pleura peels from lung parenchyma. However, the mechanism has not been clarified. It is also known that pleura increases stiffness with smoking. The authors consider that the increasing stiffness is a cause of the peeling of pleura. Then, peeling strength of pleura is estimated with changing the elastic modulus of pleura in a plate model composed with external pleura and internal pleura in the present work. In addition to consider the change in mechanical properties for internal pleura. As a result, larger Young’s modulus of the internal elastic layer than the external elastic layer, the easier it is to peel. And, it was found that when there was a restriction such as the interlobular wall, the pleura became harder due to smoking, and the lungs became more burden during lung inflation.