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Thermographic Characterization of Cutaneous Ulcers of Different Etiologies

  • Image & Signal Processing
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Abstract

The characterization of the temperature of skin ulcers may provide preliminary diagnostic evidence. The aim of this study was to characterize cutaneous ulcers of different etiologies by infrared thermography. 122 cutaneous ulcers of 87 patients (age 60.1 ± 15.7 years) were evaluated, allocated into five groups: venous ulcers (VU) n = 26, arterial ulcers (AU) n = 20, mixed ulcers (MU) n = 25, pressure ulcers (PU) n = 29, and neuropathic ulcers (NU) n = 22. The cutaneous temperature was recorded by infrared thermography (FLIR-450™); we also evaluated the ulcer area, the ankle brachial index (ABI), the range of motion (ROM) of the ankle, and pain. For the different variables, the statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal Wallis test, ANOVA, the chi-squared test, and the Spearman test (SPSS™ software version 20, p < 0.05). A significant difference was found between the temperatures of PU and NU. The ABI was significantly lower in the MU and AU groups, and pain was also higher in these groups. The ROM was decreased in all groups, and the MU and VU groups had the lowest ROM. There was no correlation between temperature and the clinical findings (ABI, ROM, and pain). There was a moderate correlation in the analysis between the temperature and the area of the ulcer in the PU group, as larger ulcers had lower temperatures. It is possible to characterize cutaneous ulcers by infrared thermography, and there are temperature differences among ulcers with different etiologies.

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Funding

This study received no funding, grants or equipment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Physiotherapy, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Brazil

    Adriana Clemente Mendonça

  2. Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation and Functional Performance, São Paulo University, Avenue Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

    Adriana Clemente Mendonça, Rafael Inácio Barbosa, Lais Mara Siqueira das Neves, Rinaldo Roberto de Jesus Guirro & Elaine Caldeira de Oliveira Guirro

  3. Department of Surgery and Anatomy, São Paulo University, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

    Jayme Adriano Farina Júnior

  4. Department of Medical Clinic, São Paulo University, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

    Marco Andrey Cipriani Frade

  5. Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC, Araranguá, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Rafael Inácio Barbosa

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  1. Adriana Clemente Mendonça
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  2. Jayme Adriano Farina Júnior
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  3. Marco Andrey Cipriani Frade
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  7. Elaine Caldeira de Oliveira Guirro
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Correspondence to Elaine Caldeira de Oliveira Guirro.

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Conflict of interest

This study received no funding, grants or equipment. The authors declare no conflicts of interest and did not receive any financial benefits. Furthermore, this study has not been submitted to any other journal or conference.

Ethical approved

This was a cross-sectional observational study, with blinded evaluators, approved by the ethics and research committee of HC-FMRP-USP with protocol number 1,076,555/2015.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Image & Signal Processing

Highlights

• Thermography was able to characterize chronic cutaneous ulcers of different etiologies, identifying thermal behavior that differed between groups, probably related to ulcer etiology.

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Mendonça, A.C., Júnior, J.A.F., Frade, M.A.C. et al. Thermographic Characterization of Cutaneous Ulcers of Different Etiologies. J Med Syst 44, 160 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-020-01612-8

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