The assessment of neuromuscular sequels post brain damage by thermography. A pilot study
Keywords:
thermography, brain damage, stroke, neuromuscular.Abstract
Introduction: sequelae related to brain damage are the third leading cause of disability worldwide and the second cause of death. The subjectivity of the evaluator in assessing trophic tissue is always an element that must be taken into account. In this regard, the objectives of this pilot study were to observe the reliability and validity of the thermographic technique in patients with motor sequelae after brain damage. Material and method: twenty-eight patients with neuromuscular involvement were recruited. A blinded researcher, specialized in the assessment of neuromuscular damage, measured the impairment according to the Ashwort Scale determining the degree of restriction and resistance to bending of the ankle, while two researchers recorded thermal patterns. Results: in the first measurement, the temperature of the two legs separately did not exceed 30.2 oC in 75 % of cases, and in the second measurement it did not exceed 29.7 oC. The average of the measurements on the left and right legs offered maximum values of less than 31.9 oC for both. Overall, measurements had an average of 28.4 oC with a standard deviation of 1.928. In 75 % of the total measurements, the temperature was equal to or lower than 29.8 oC indicating that the temperature in these pathological patients generally appears to be lower than 32 oC. Conclusion: thermography is a reliable and valid tool for assessing patients with neuromuscular damage; however, further studies with a larger sample size are needed to clarify the role of this technique in relation to neuromuscular damage.
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