Numerical analysis of interrelations between skin surface temperature and burn wound shape

Numerous observations show the apparent relations between skin surface temperature and the shape of a burn wound. The tracing of temperature changes allows one to analyze the process of wound healing and a such information can be very essential at the stage of therapy choice. The information concerning the surface temperature distribution can be obtained using, first of all, the thermography methods. In the paper, the numerical method of burn wound shape estimation on the basis of skin temperature measurements is discussed. It is assumed that the thermal processes proceeding in the heterogeneous system healthy tissue-burn wound can be described by a system of two Pennes equations supplemented by the boundary conditions given on the external surface of the tissue domain and the boundary conditions determining heat exchange between sub-domains considered. The healing of wounds proceed very slowly and the problem of temporary wound shape estimation can be treated as the steady one.