Stimulated infrared thermography applied to differentiate scar tissue from peri-scar tissue: a preliminary study

Every human injury leads to a scar formation. The healing process leads to the formation of new tissue: the scar, which is different from the original tissue. This process is influenced by mechanical strength and the local vasculature is modified. The purpose of this study is to show that there are various temperatures between the scar and the peri-scar area associated with the healing process that can be estimated using the thermal infrared camera. In the study, 12 scars were stimulated by cold. Several changes of temperature were observed between scar and peri-scar area for 10 min. Scars appeared significantly colder with a Wilcoxon test (p = 0.01). Results showed that stimulated infrared thermography can be used to monitor the temperature difference between the scar and peri-scar tissue.