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Assessment of Bone Fracture Healing Using Micro-Computed Tomography
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Evaluation of Tibia Bone Healing by Infrared Thermography: A Case Study
Wally Auf der Strasse1, Daniel Prado Campos1, Celso Júnio Aguiar Mendonça1
1Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil.
Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
|November 22, 2021
Summary
Medical thermography shows promise for monitoring bone fracture healing and detecting complications like infection. This non-invasive technique complements X-rays by assessing vascularization and physiological changes during recovery.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Trauma
- Medical Imaging
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Thermal imaging is established in clinical follow-up across medical specialties.
- Investigating medical thermography's feasibility for severe orthopedic trauma requiring external fixators.
Observation:
- Twenty thermal imaging follow-ups correlated with X-rays were conducted over 11 months.
- Data collected using a Flir T530 infrared camera and processed with custom Matlab software.
- Regions of interest included proximal tibia, diaphysis, and distal areas.
Findings:
- Median temperature was 22.2°C, indicating healing interruptions.
- A significant temperature increase to 34.6°C correlated with bone infection diagnosis.
- Thermal alterations >0.3°C correlated with X-rays and contralateral limb, signifying physiological abnormality.
Implications:
- Thermography can be a valuable tool for post-trauma and fracture follow-up.
- Infrared thermography provides physiological data on vascularization crucial for bone repair.
- As a non-ionizing radiation method, it can be used repeatedly, complementing anatomical X-ray analysis.
