Healing of surgical site after total hip and knee replacements show similar telethermographic patterns
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2011
Citazione:
Healing of surgical site after total hip and knee replacements show similar
telethermographic patterns / C.L. Romanò, D. Romanò, F. Dell'Oro, N. Logoluso, L. Drago. - In: JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDICS AND TRAUMATOLOGY. - ISSN 1590-9921. - 2:2(2011 Jun), pp. 81-86. [10.1007/s10195-011-0135-1]
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Isolated reports indicate the efficacy of infrared thermography for
monitoring wound healing and septic complications, but no long-term analysis has
ever been performed on this, and there are no data on the telethermographic
patterns of surgical site healing after uncomplicated total hip prosthesis and
after knee prosthesis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective, observational, nonrandomized cohort
study, two groups with forty consecutive patients each, who were operated on
respectively for total hip and for total knee replacements, underwent
telethermographic examination of the operated and contralateral joints prior to
and at fixed intervals for up to 1 year after uncomplicated surgery. A digital,
portable telethermocamera and dedicated software were used for data acquisition
and processing.
RESULTS: No thermographic difference was observed preoperatively between the
affected side and the contralateral side in both groups. After the intervention,
a steep increase in the temperature of the operated joint was recorded after
total hip replacement and after knee replacement, with a peak mean differential
temperature measured three days postoperatively between the operated and
unoperated joint of 3.1 ± 0.8°C after total hip replacement, and 3.4 ± 0.7°C
after total knee replacement. Thereafter, the mean differential temperature
declined slowly to 0.7 ± 1.1°C and to 0.5 ± 1.3°C at 60 days, and to 0.0 ± 1.0°C
and -0.1 ± 1.1°C 90 days post-operatively, respectively. No further changes were
observed for up to 1 year after surgery. Results were similar when comparing the
average telethermographic values of an elliptical area where the main axis
corresponded to the surgical wound.
CONCLUSIONS: The surgical sites after uncomplicated total hip or total knee
replacement show similar telethermographic patterns for up to 1 year from
surgery, and can easily be monitored using a portable, digital, telethermocamera.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
Hip; Infection; Knee; Thermography; Wound
Elenco autori:
C.L. Romanò, D. Romanò, F. Dell'Oro, N. Logoluso, L. Drago
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