Infrared Thermography as a Diagnostic Tool for Peripheral Artery Disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is increasing worldwide. The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is considered the criterion standard of noninvasive screening, but it does have limitations. The present study aimed to clarify the clinical diagnostic potential of infrared thermography (IRT) compared with conventional noninvasive measurements for PAD. METHODS Patients were divided into two groups: the healthy control group (n = 93) and the PAD group (n = 164). Control participants had an ABI 0.9 to 1.4 and no former PAD diagnosis. The PAD group was divided into three subgroups based on ABI classifications and two subgroups based on toe pressure measurements. Investigators performed IRT using a standardized protocol with temperature measurements at five different foot sites. MAIN RESULTS Differences in skin temperatures between feet were greater (P < .001) in the PAD group than in healthy controls. In general, mean foot temperatures were lower in the PAD group than in controls but did not differ significantly among PAD subgroups based on ABI classifications or toe pressure measurements. CONCLUSIONS Infrared thermography effectively distinguished temperature differences between feet and thus might be diagnostically useful. However, because normal skin surface temperature varies among individuals, IRT alone cannot be recommended for evaluating PAD. However, it does have potential to provide additional information about circulation, subclinical infections, and the severity of vascular disease.

Infrared Thermography Follow-Up After Lower Limb Revascularization

“…As reported in our previous studies, we have investigated the use of IRT as a diagnostic tool among PAD patients and patients with diabetes. 21,22 Our outcome here in the present study strengthens these earlier findings and suggests that one of the most effective ways to use IRT is to use it as a follow-up tool among people with diabetes. It is also a valuable tool in the follow-up of PAD patients and patients with diabetes, who have had previous revascularization.…”

“…IRT can be a revealing tool, especially among people with diabetes, and provides valuable information among PAD patients; however, temperature variation is not as broad as among patients with diabetes. 21,22 Surgical or endovascular procedures for stenotic arteries of leg peripheral circulation are intended to lead to sufficient blood flow. The purpose of this study was with a simple clinical setting to compare skin temperature changes in the feet before and after revascularization and to identify possible correlation between ABI and TP values and foot skin temperature.…”

Development of a self-monitoring tool for diabetic foot prevention using smartphone-based thermography: Plantar thermal pattern changes and usability in the home environment

“…Nonetheless, 11.4% of thermal patterns from different healthy participants were asymmetric. Asymmetric or low temperature on one side of the foot is usually an indicator of peripheral artery disease in people with diabetes (36). However, it was found in healthy participants in this study, which suggested that assessment based on a single thermal image is insufficient to judge the risk of DFUs; thus, assessment of plantar thermal images on a regular basis is more reliable.…”

Infrared Thermography as a Diagnostic Tool for the Assessment of Patients with Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease Undergoing Infrafemoral Endovascular Revascularisations

“…The majority of their PAD sample was composed of claudicants, and the authors concluded that in these patients, the temperatures obtained were higher than those obtained from healthy control controls with normal ABI. According to them, this finding was attributed to vasodilation of small arterial vessels as a compensatory response to the overall reduction in blood flow [ 19 ]. This finding was not confirmed in our study and might be because of the small number of claudicants in our series.…”