EQUINE INFLAMMATORY PROCESS EVALUATION USING QUANTITATIVE THERMOGRAFIC METHODOLOGY

Thermography has been used as an important diagnostic tool in order to evaluate muscle and skeletal affections in equine sports medicine. However, many evaluation procedures are restricted to qualitative analysis of the images, becoming strongly dependent of the clinician expertise. Moreover, thermal cameras measures superficial skin temperatures, becoming susceptible to influences of environmental temperature variations. The quantitative thermography is a method presented to rationalize the infrared data evaluations, allowing the temperature follow on along time and correcting the effects of atmosphere conditions on the lesion temperature. The objective of this study is to evaluate an induced inflammatory process using a deterministic method for temperature data evaluation. An inflammation severity scale was established correlating clinical signs and local temperature variations to readily grade the inflammatory process. Three sound horses were submitted to an induced inflammation of the third proximal left metacarpus by circulatory restriction of the area. The exposure time for the procedure was 6 hours for two animals, and 3 hours for the other one. Afterwards, the evolution of the inflammatory process was monitored through 8 assessments along 150 hours. The quantitative thermography method allowed visualizing the individual temperature behavior throughout the time, hence the dynamic evolution of the inflammatory state. The maximum level of inflammation for each animal was reached at 25, 28 and 32 hours after finished the induction and the inflammatory process has shown tendency to resolution from 59, 142 and 64 hours, respectively. The 6 hours induction time animals have presente