Value of a smartphone‐compatible thermal imaging camera in the detection of peroneal artery perforators: Comparative study with computed tomography angiography

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the value of a smartphone‐compatible thermal imaging camera in the mapping of the peroneal artery perforators. Methods Twelve consecutive patients scheduled for fibular flap reconstruction were enrolled. The lower limbs were first studied using smartphone‐based dynamic infrared thermography (DIRT). During the rewarming, the hotspots were marked, small rubber markers were taped to the registered sites, and then the patients were sent for a CT scan. The diagnostic performance of smartphone‐based DIRT was evaluated by comparing the DIRT findings with CT angiography and intraoperative findings. Results DIRT detected 42 of the 57 dominant perforators in 24 limbs and resulted in a sensitivity of 73.7% and a positive predictive value of 65.6%. Conclusions The sensitivity and positive predictive value of the smartphone‐based DIRT are low. Currently, it should be used as an adjunctive tool together with the established imaging techniques.