THE USE OF LASER DIFFRACTION FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE AEROSOL CLOUDS GENERATED BY MEDICAL NEBULIZERS

The diffraction method for the measurement of the droplet size distributions produced by medical nebulizers was investigated. The technique was found to be robust and reliable. Correlation of published results obtained from laser diffraction droplet size analysis to characterize the nebulizer clouds with radiolabel deposition profiles and predictions of an empirical deposition model, shows that the diffraction technique measures a size parameter relevant to the clinical situation. The high degree of correlation makes laser diffraction suitable for the predictive assessment of aerosols generated by nebulization of drug solutions.