The Vascularization of a Free Full Thickness Skin Graft:III. An Infrared Thermographic Study

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Abstract
A full-thickness scrotal skin autograft transplanted to an ear of a rabbit shows the following heat emission changes when studied with infrared thermography under the conditions of this experiment: 1. Normal heat emission from recipient bed vessels under the graft is present immediately after grafting, but is soon masked by graft edema. The normal pattern of heat emissions from the recipient bed is restored by the sixth to eighth day after grafting when edema has disappeared. 2. Recipient bed vasodilatation and proliferation slightly increases the heat emission from the graft area if this area is not masked by graft edema. 3. Areas with or without a fibrinous scab, but uncovered by epithelium are registered thermographically as slightly colder than the surrounding normal skin. This appears to be the result of evaporation from their surfaces.

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