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CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2021; 48(05): 553-558
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2021.00101
Research/Experimental
Idea and Innovation

Predicting lipoabdominoplasty complications with infrared thermography: a delta-R analysis

Patricia Rodrigues Resende 
Postgraduate Program in Thermology and Medical Thermography, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo
,
Marcos Leal Brioschi 
Postgraduate Program in Thermology and Medical Thermography, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo
,
Franciele De Meneck 
School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo
,
Eduardo Borba Neves 
Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Federal Technological University of Paraná, Curitiba
,
Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira 
Postgraduate Program in Thermology and Medical Thermography, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo
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Abstract

The diagnosis of the main complications resulting from lipoabdominoplasty has not yet been standardized. Infrared thermal imaging has been used to assess possible complications, such as necrosis and changes in micro- and macro-circulation, based on perforator mapping techniques, among others. The objective of this study was to present two clinical cases involving thermal imaging monitoring of the healing process of lipoabdominoplasty in the immediate postoperative evaluation and its preliminary results. Infrared thermography was performed 24 hours after the operation and on postoperative days 5, 25, and 27. In clinical case 1, it was found that the delta-R (∆TR)–defined as the difference in minimum temperature between the highest and lowest points in the SA3 region (caution suction area) following the classification established by Matarasso–was 0.4°C at 24 hours after surgery and decreased to 0.1°C on a postoperative day 5. There were no complications in this case. In contrast, in clinical case 2, the ∆TR was 1.7°C at 24 hours after surgery (upon hospital discharge) and remained high, at 2.2°C, on postoperative day 5. A higher ∆TR was found in the second patient, who developed necrosis of the surgical wound. The ∆TR thermal index may be a new tool for predicting possible complications, complementing the clinical evaluation and therapeutic decision-making.

Keywords

Thermography - Abdominoplasty - Lipoabdominoplasty - Postoperative complications - Abdominal wall


Publication History

Received: 16 January 2021

Accepted: 27 May 2021

Article published online:
19 March 2022

© 2021. 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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