New perspective on the in vivo use of cold stress dynamic thermography in integumental reconstruction with the use of skin-muscle flaps

Abstract

Background: Among the problems encountered by plastic surgeons is the reconstruction of defects following tumors. One of the reconstructive options is trans rectus abdominis (TRAM) flap. Despite that anatomy is well explored, marginal flap necrosis may develop. To minimize the complications, imaging examinations were designed to determine the degree of flap perfusion. One of them is the thermographic examination.

Materials and methods: We examined 38 patients who had undergone 10 reconstructive breast surgeries with a pedicled TRAM ipsilateral flap, 10 patients with a TRAM contralateral flap, and 18 patients with a TRAM supercharged flap. Each operated patient underwent a thermographic examination before the surgery, after the dissection of the skin-muscle flap, immediately after suturing flap, and during the first and seventh day after the surgery. The collected data were then processed to yield results in a numerical form and compared with clinical examination. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of new thermal model calculation of dT_norm and t_{90_10} in cold stress dynamic thermography in the in vivo assessment of intraoperative and postoperative skin blood supply in humans before ischemic lesions become clinically apparent.

Results: Of 38 patients participating in the study, nine patients developed marginal necrosis of the skin flap despite intraoperative clinical evaluation of blood supply. Explicit circulatory disorders apparent in a clinical examination developed after 24 h.

Conclusions: Cold stress t_norm and t_{90_10} dynamic thermography can be a helpful additional tool to assess and monitor the blood supply to the flap skin both intraoperatively and postoperatively. Active dynamic thermography; cold stress dynamic thermography, thermography; TRAM; flap necrosis; flap monitoring, breast reconstruction.

Keywords: Active dynamic thermography; Cold stress dynamic thermography, thermography; Flap monitoring, breast reconstruction; Flap necrosis; TRAM.