Thermal Imaging in Diagnostics of Chronic Ulcers and in Monitoring Healing of Chronic Ulcers

Patients with chronic ulcer needing tertiary care referred to the Wound Center of Tampere University Hospital are invited to this study. Patients are treated according to standard treatment practices. The temperature of the lower limbs and ulcer area is measured during visits using the Thermidas Remote thermal imaging system, a CE-marked medical device for measuring and monitoring changes in skin surface temperature non-invasively. The measured temperatures and differences are compared in different ulcer aetiology groups and analyzed whether thermal imaging can be used to distinguish atypical ulcers from vascular ulcers. Thermal imaging measurements and clinical examinations are repeated to the patients with atypical ulcers during follow-up visits. Monitoring of ulcers will continue until the ulcer has epithelized completely or for up to a year.