Infrared thermography brain mapping surveillance in vascular neurosurgery for anterior communicating artery aneurysm clipping

Abstract

Background:Infrared thermography (IT) is a noninvasive, real-time diagnostic method that requires no contact with the patient and has a broad spectrum of potential applications in neurosurgery. It has been previously demonstrated the high sensitivity and specificity that IT has to detect brain blood flow changes.Case Description:The case is based on a 64-year-old diabetic and hypertensive male, to whom an anterior communicating artery (ACoA) incidental aneurysm was discovered. We performed the basal infrared thermography mapping (ITM) and immediately after the transitory clip placement in both A1 segments of the anterior cerebral artery (A1-ACA), we performed a second ITM of the exposed brain cortex. After the definitive clip placement in the neck of the ACoA aneurysm, we removed the transitory clips of both A1-ACA and performed a third ITM of the cortical surface, without finding any cortical cooling or significative temperature differences (Ϫt) compared to the basal ITM. The postoperatory computed tomography (CT) and angio-CT did not show any ischemic damage and confirmed the accurate aneurysm clipping.Conclusions:The ITM seems to be a real-time, safe, and useful brain mapping method to identify different temperature zones and temperature dispersion gradients in the human brain cortex. More studies are needed to evaluate the potential applications of IT mapping of the human brain and its use in neurosurgery and vascular neurosurgery.

Smartphone-based thermography to determine shunt patency in patients with hydrocephalus

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“…Infrared thermography has a high sensitivity and specificity when it comes to detecting brain blood flow changes [ 9 ]. It has also been shown that real-time evaluation of cerebral blood flow in arteriovenous malformations or patency of bypass is possible with infrared thermography [ 8 , 9 ]. In patients with a hydrocephalus, it may be a potentially simple, safe, and cost-effective mobile adjunct to X-rays and CT-scans.…”

The application of infrared thermography technology in flap: A perspective from bibliometric and visual analysis

“…With advancements in infrared technology, it is now possible to perform multi‐wavelength detection, 3 simultaneously detecting temperatures in multiple different spectral bands, thereby overcoming the limitations of previous single‐wavelength detection due to atmospheric absorption and environmental temperature effects. This technology enables real‐time, rapid, and accurate detection of target temperatures, 4 making it of significant importance. In the field of medicine, the value of modern infrared thermography primarily lies in its ability to generate digital images and present infrared thermal images in real‐time, aiding in the assessment of temperature distribution on the surface of the human body 5 .…”

“…2 With advancements in infrared technology, it is now possible to perform multi-wavelength detection, 3 simultaneously detecting temperatures in multiple different spectral bands, thereby overcoming the limitations of previous single-wavelength detection due to atmospheric absorption and environmental temperature effects. This technology enables real-time, rapid, and accurate detection of target temperatures, 4 making it of significant importance.…”