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CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2017; 44(03): 243-247
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2017.44.3.243
Idea and Innovation

Using a Thermal Imaging Camera to Locate Perforators on the Lower Limb

Sharad P. Paul 
School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, New Zealand
Faculty of Surgery, Auckland University, Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
› Author AffiliationsThis paper resulted from a study that forms part of my Ph. D research project at the University of Queensland's School of Medicine and I would like to acknowledge my supervisors, Assoc. Professor Cliff Rosendahl and Professor John Windsor. And finally, I would like to thank Ryan Butler, Auckland University of Technology, for his help with photography to document this experiment.
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Reconstruction of the lower limb presents a complex problem after skin cancer surgery, as proximity of skin and bone present vascular and technical challenges. Studies on vascular anatomy have confirmed that the vascular plane on the lower limb lies deep to the deep fascia. Yet, many flaps are routinely raised superficial to this plane and therefore flap failure rates in the lower limb are high. Fascio-cutaneous flaps based on perforators offer a better cosmetic alternative to skin grafts. In this paper, we detail use of a thermal imaging camera to identify perforator ‘compartments’ that can help in designing such flaps.

Keywords

Perfusion imaging - Skin neoplasms - Perforator flap - Lower extremity

This article was presented at the 8th annual HealthCert/University of Queensland Skin Cancer Conference and Masterclasses, July 28, 2016, Brisbane, Australia.




Publication History

Received: 25 October 2016

Accepted: 08 March 2017

Article published online:
20 April 2022

© 2017. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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