title: Thermographic evaluation of early melanoma within the vascularized skin using combined non-Newtonian blood flow and bioheat models.
abstract: A theoretical study on vascularized skin model to predict the thermal evaluation criteria of early melanoma using the dynamic thermal imaging technique is presented in this article. Thermographic evaluation of melanoma has been carried out during the thermal recovery of skin from undercooled condition. During thermal recovery, the skin has been exposed to natural convection, radiation, and evaporation. The thermal responses of melanoma have been evaluated by integrating the bioheat model for multi-layered skin with the momentum as well as energy conservation equations for blood flow. Differential changes in the surface thermal response of various melanoma stages except that of the early stage have been determined. It has been predicted that the thermal response due to subsurface blood flow overpowers the response of early melanoma. Hence, the study suggests that the quantification of early melanoma diagnosis using thermography has not reached a matured stage yet. Therefore, the study presents a systematic analysis of various intermediate melanoma stages to determine the thermal evaluation criteria of early melanoma. The comprehensive modeling effort made in this work supports the prediction of the disease outcome and relates the thermal response with the variation in patho-physiological, thermal and geometrical parameters.
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical, Materials and Energy Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, Punjab 140001, India.
authors.forename: Arka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhowmik
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical, Materials and Energy Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, Punjab 140001, India. Electronic address: ramjee.repaka@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ramjee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Repaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, India.
authors.forename: Subhash C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Mishra
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008954:Models, Biological; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013817:Thermography / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Bioheat equation; Early melanoma; Medical diagnosis; Non-Newtonian blood flow; Thermal imaging