Department of Applied Physiotherapy, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Brazil.
Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation and Functional Performance, São Paulo University, Avenue Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
J Med Syst. 2020 Aug 3;44(9):160. doi: 10.1007/s10916-020-01612-8.
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.
皮肤溃疡的温度特征可能提供初步的诊断依据。本研究旨在通过红外热成像技术对不同病因的皮肤溃疡进行特征描述。评估了 87 名患者（年龄 60.1±15.7 岁）的 122 个皮肤溃疡，将其分为 5 组：静脉溃疡（VU）n=26，动脉溃疡（AU）n=20，混合溃疡（MU）n=25，压力性溃疡（PU）n=29，神经病变性溃疡（NU）n=22。通过红外热成像（FLIR-450™）记录皮肤温度；我们还评估了溃疡面积、踝肱指数（ABI）、踝关节活动度（ROM）和疼痛。对于不同的变量，使用 Kruskal Wallis 检验、ANOVA、卡方检验和 Spearman 检验（SPSS™软件版本 20，p<0.05）进行统计分析。发现 PU 和 NU 的温度之间存在显著差异。MU 和 AU 组的 ABI 显著降低，这些组的疼痛也更高。所有组的 ROM 均降低，MU 和 VU 组的 ROM 最低。温度与临床发现（ABI、ROM 和疼痛）之间无相关性。在 PU 组中，温度与溃疡面积之间存在中度相关性，即较大的溃疡具有较低的温度。通过红外热成像可以对皮肤溃疡进行特征描述，不同病因的溃疡存在温度差异。
