Infrared thermography as option for evaluating the treatment effect of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty by patients with peripheral arterial disease

Abstract

Aim of this study was to evaluate the possible use of infrared thermography as a supplementary method to the ankle-brachial index used in assessing the treatment effect of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. The study included 21 patients, mean age was 60.22 years. Healthy control group included 20 persons, mean age was 55.60 years. Patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (Fontaine stages I-III) were admitted for endovascular treatment by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Thermal images and ankle-brachial index values were obtained before and after treatment by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Median temperature change in the treated limb was 0.4℃, for non-treated limb was -0.5℃. The median value of ankle-brachial index in the treated limb increased by 0.17 from 0.81 after the procedure. The median value of ankle-brachial index in the non-treated limb decreased by 0.03 from the value of 1.01. Significant difference between treated limb and non-treated limb in change of ankle-brachial index was found with p value = .0035. The surface temperature obtained by the infrared thermography correlates with ankle-brachial index. We present data showing that the increase of ankle-brachial index is associated with increase of skin temperature in the case of limbs treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Our results also suggest potential of the use of infrared thermography for monitoring foot temperature as a means of early detection of onset of foot ischemic disorders.

Infrared Thermography Follow-Up After Lower Limb Revascularization

“…24,25 Staffa et al reported about the correlation between the surface temperature obtained by the IRT and ABI in the case of limbs treated by PTA. 26 Our present results support previous findings. The change of ABI, TP, and TBI is associated with the change of skin temperature in the revascularized leg regardless of whether an endovascular or surgical method was used.…”

Infrared Thermography as a Diagnostic Tool for the Assessment of Patients with Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease Undergoing Infrafemoral Endovascular Revascularisations

“…Staffa et al evaluated the efficacy of IRT for assessment of PAD patients before and after an endovascular procedure in a setting of claudicant patients [ 10 ]. Our data confirm the efficacy of IRT to assess the technical success of an endovascular procedure (in terms of increasing of foot temperature) and can be considered an external validation of their study.…”

“…Therefore, the foot skin temperature measured above these tissues might be dependent on the severity of atherosclerotic disease. IRT was previously applied in trials with PAD patients [ 8 , 9 ], or to determine the technical success of revascularization [ 10 ]. To the best of our knowledge, it has never been used to determine changes in the districts of the foot after endovascular treatment in the contest of critical limb threating ischaemia.…”

Successful application of extracorporeal circulation compression perfusion in the treatment of diabetic foot: a retrospective cross-sectional study

“…These patients have a poor quality of life and often must undergo amputation. 11 Lower limb amputation, especially for people with diabetes, remains an ongoing challenge. The rising costs to the health care system, especially with repeated vascular surgery, require greater scientific efforts to achieve simpler and more lasting solutions.…”