Thermal Imaging as a Method to Indirectly Assess Peripheral Vascular Integrity and Tissue Viability in Veterinary Medicine: Animal Models and Clinical Applications
Daniel Mota-Rojas,
Asahi Ogi,
Dina Villanueva-García,
Ismael Hernández-Ávalos,
Alejandro Casas-Alvarado,
Adriana Domínguez-Oliva,
Pamela Lendez,
Marcelo Ghezzi
Affiliations
Daniel Mota-Rojas
Neurophysiology of Pain, Behavior and Assessment of Welfare in Domestic Animals, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 14389, Mexico
Asahi Ogi
Department of Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy
Dina Villanueva-García
Division of Neonatology, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
Ismael Hernández-Ávalos
Clinical Pharmacology and Veterinary Anesthesia, Biological Sciences Department, FESC, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuautitlán 54714, Mexico
Alejandro Casas-Alvarado
Neurophysiology of Pain, Behavior and Assessment of Welfare in Domestic Animals, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 14389, Mexico
Adriana Domínguez-Oliva
Neurophysiology of Pain, Behavior and Assessment of Welfare in Domestic Animals, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Mexico City 14389, Mexico
Pamela Lendez
Anatomy Area, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences (FCV), Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), University Campus, Tandil 7000, Argentina
Marcelo Ghezzi
Anatomy Area, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences (FCV), Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), University Campus, Tandil 7000, Argentina
Infrared thermography (IRT) is a technique that indirectly assesses peripheral blood circulation and its resulting amount of radiated heat. Due to these properties, thermal imaging is currently applied in human medicine to noninvasively evaluate peripheral vascular disorders such as thrombosis, thromboembolisms, and other ischemic processes. Moreover, tissular damage (e.g., burn injuries) also causes microvasculature compromise. Therefore, thermography can be applied to determine the degree of damage according to the viability of tissues and blood vessels, and it can also be used as a technique to monitor skin transplant procedures such as grafting and free flaps. The present review aims to summarize and analyze the application of IRT in veterinary medicine as a method to indirectly assess peripheral vascular integrity and its relation to the amount of radiated heat and as a diagnostic technique for tissue viability, degree of damage, and wound care.
