title: Thermal changes during healing of distal radius fractures-Preliminary findings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The bone healing process is very complex. In simple terms, bone healing comprises three basic steps, the inflammation phase, the repair phase and the remodelling phase. The increase in blood flow around the fracture during the healing process increases the temperature of the surrounding tissue. Infrared thermography is a method of measuring body temperature that can detect temperature changes during bone healing. Studies on the application of thermography in traumatology are scarce, and there are no studies of thermal changes during normal bone healing. The authors have tried to determine the dynamics of thermal changes during bone healing.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Flir ThermaCam B2 (FLIR Systems, Inc., Oregon, USA) was used for all measurements. Thermographic recordings were made one, three, five, 11 and 23 weeks after fracture. The contralateral, healthy, forearm was used for comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 25 patients of mean age 65.9±10.4 years (range 50-80 years) with fracture of the distal radius were examined in this study. The mean temperature difference between healthy and fractured distal forearm one week after fracture was 1.20±0.48°C, three weeks after fracture was 1.42±0.54°C, five weeks after fracture was 1.04±0.53°C, 11 weeks after fracture was 0.50±0.30°C, and 23 weeks after fracture was 0.22±0.25°C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary findings during this research showed significant temperature changes during healing of distal radius fractures. Infrared thermography is a simple and reliable method in clinical practice that could be used as a good follow-up method in traumatology, but further investigations on more patients are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: damir.haluzan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Damir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haluzan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Salata 3, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Slavko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davila
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Salata 3, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Anko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antabak
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Salata 3, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dobric
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Jagoda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stipic
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Salata 3, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Augustin
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Tin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ehrenfreund
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ivica
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Prlic
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal; D017102:Fracture Healing; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D013817:Thermography / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Bone healing; Distal radius; Fractures; Infrared thermography; Temperature changes