Comparative study of infrared thermal imaging technology and colour Doppler ultrasound in the detection of perforator vessels before anterolateral femoral perforator flap / 中华显微外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To compare the reliability between infrared thermal imaging technology(IRT) and colour Doppler ultrasound (CDU) in the detection of perforators for anterolateral femoral perforator flap(ALTPF).Methods:From September, 2017 to September, 2019, a total of 25 patients(16 males and 9 females, aged 12-53 years old with an average age of 38.7 years old) underwent ALTPF surgery for the purpose of resurfacing and reconstruction. All patients had pedicled or free ALTPF sized from 5.0 cm×8.0 cm to 7.5 cm×30.0 cm. Among all cases, 21 received free flaps and 4 received pedicled flaps. All patients underwent routine IRT and CDU examinations to locate the perforators preoperatively.Results:Of the 25 patients, CDU detected 53 perforators and IRT detected 51 "hot spots". There were 50 "hot spots" that corresponded to the findings of CDU with a κ index at 0.712( P<0.05), representing a high degree of consistency. The sensitivity and specificity were 94.3% and 85.7%, respectively. Conclusion:IRT has a high consistency in detecting perforators for ALTPF in comparison with CDU. IRT features portable, low cost, non-invasive, and easy to operate. At the same time, IRT has advantages in the patients who have thin subcutaneous tissue. With higher accuracy, IRT is expected to become an important part of preoperative perforator navigation.