The diabetic foot is one of the complications of diabetes, which if not in a timely and adequate way can trigger a series of infections and even the loss of some limb that completely changes the patient's life.
Therefore, the optics research center, through the Terahertz Science and Applications Group, set out to use the spectroscopic image in the band between 100 and 500 GHz to evaluate the surface hydration of the skin on the floor of the feet, whichIt is an indicator of vascular deterioration and fragility, quantitative method and objective of deterioration of the deterioration of the foot and the risk of developing an ulcer.
This method was approved in a group of patients from the General Hospital of León, the ISSSTE and a group of CIO volunteers, with encouraging results.
There were 33 volunteers recruited by the CIO personnel, none of them diagnosed with diabetes, were called "control group";On the other hand, 38 Diabetic patients of the HGL were also recruited, they were photographed their right foot.
Of all the acquired images, only 21 of the control group and 12 of the diabetic people were included in the report, the others were discarded for not obtaining a good image, making it impossible for their analysis.
The comparison of images between diabetic people and those who are not, showed a big difference in water content;The average water content varies, since the hydration of diabetic people is less than those who have control.
In addition to the lack of hydration, the studies showed a greater degree of deterioration in those people with diabetes, these results will be used in the planning of a formal clinical route so that this technique is used as a detection method during the early stages of the diabetic foot.
While they are indicative and encouraging, the sensitivity and specificity values reported here are far from being acceptable for doctors.This study was initially proposed as a technical test of the equipment and, therefore, many formal requirements of a clinical route were not met in the acquisition of the data.
The image of Terahertz is a non -invasive method that exposes patients at any risk and has the advantage of directly exploring the skin hydration status, unlike monofilament or doppler tests, which investigate the deterioration of the nerves orThe vasculature, respectively.However, the image of Terahercios remains a relatively expensive technique.
“In conclusion, we proposed the image projection of terahercios as a potential detection method for the initial stages of the deterioration of the feet in diabetic patients.We also design and implement an appropriate equipment for the acquisition of images of the sole of the feet.
In addition, we acquire images of 12 diabetics and 21 non -diabetic, which gave us a very optimistic indication of the potential of the technique.Based on these results, we are now planning a clinical monitoring of the detection method, which must be completed in the coming months or years, ”said project collaborators.
