[Real-time infrared thermography as an evaluation method of spleen viability in partial splenectomy in pigs].

Objective: To determine if infrared thermography is capable of precisely detecting loss of tissue perfusion in the spleen during a partial splenectomy.

Methods: Five Landrace pigs, weighing between 12 and 15 kg, after intramuscular pre-anesthetic medication and intravascular infusion anesthesia, were submitted to four sequential vascular interruption steps of the arterial vessels to the lower splenic pole: 1-vessels of splenic ligament; 2-splenic artery branch to the lower pole; 3-arterial branch to the lower pole on the organ visceral surface; 4-splenic parenchyma, splitting the organ. The images were captured by a Therma CAM SC500 camera 50 centimeters from the organ surface. The parenchymal temperatures were measured from the proximal (irrigated) areas and from the distal (ischemic) areas in three distinct circle regions of each area using SAT Report software, before and after each vessels interruption step, establishing five groups of measurement times: time 0 = before interruption step 1; time 1 = after interruption step 1; time 2 = after interruption step 2; time 3 = after interruption step 3; time 4 = after interruption step 4.

Results: Proximal area temperatures (preserved vessels) remained stable during all the vessel interruption steps. The temperature of the distal area (compromised vessels), as compared to the proximal area, dropped continually throughout the sequential interruption steps and became statistically lower after interruption step 3 (time 3). There was a statistical difference between the proximal and distal temperatures of the organ as the vascular structures were being interrupted in each step.

Conclusion: Infrared thermography is capable of precisely distinguishing irrigated splenic parenchyma from the ischemic areas and can contribute to the evaluation of solid organ viability.