Daniel Vlk

Infrared thermography as option for evaluating the treatment effect of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty by patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Aim of this study was to evaluate the possible use of infrared thermography as a supplementary method to the ankle-brachial index used in assessing the treatment effect of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. The study included 21 patients, mean age was 60.22 years. Healthy control group included 20 persons, mean age was 55.60 years. Patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (Fontaine stages I–III) were admitted for endovascular treatment by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Thermal images and ankle-brachial index values were obtained before and after treatment by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Median temperature change in the treated limb was 0.4℃, for non-treated limb was –0.5℃. The median value of ankle-brachial index in the treated limb increased by 0.17 from 0.81 after the procedure. The median value of ankle-brachial index in the non-treated limb decreased by 0.03 from the value of 1.01. Significant difference between treated limb and non-treated limb in change of ankle-brachial index was found with p value = .0035. The surface temperature obtained by the infrared thermography correlates with ankle-brachial index. We present data showing that the increase of ankle-brachial index is associated with increase of skin temperature in the case of limbs treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Our results also suggest potential of the use of infrared thermography for monitoring foot temperature as a means of early detection of onset of foot ischemic disorders.

A Medical Biophysics Conceptual Base for Medical / Healthcare / Technology Students at the Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk Uni., Brno

At the department of Biophysics of the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, we teach several groups of students from different faculties, which represent practically all sectors of future healthcare professionals. These professionals need to share common conceptual understandings and terminology in order to be able to function effectively as multidisciplinary healthcare teams in their future careers. Medical Biophysics is becoming an interfaculty link between the different curricular approaches at the various faculties, in effect creating a common conceptual and terminological base to facilitate this sharing. We schematically describe and discuss the medical biophysics theoretical and practical curriculum for our students. The practical exercises consist of three sets: a basic set which is common to all professions and which ensures a solid foundation to all students, and specialized and medical sets chosen according to the future specific healthcare profession of the students. We also present plans for the future elaboration and development of these practical sessions.