Finite element skin models as additional data for dynamic infrared thermography on skin lesions

ABSTRACT

Skin cancer is a significant global health concern, with increasing incidence rates and a high number of deaths each year. Early detection plays a crucial role in improving survival rates, but current screening methods, such as total body skin examination, often lead to unnecessary invasive excisions. This research aims to explore the use of dynamic infrared thermography (DIRT) in combination with other technologies to potentially eliminate the need for biopsies in the future and gather information about the stage or depth of malignant skin lesions. The study involves data acquisition using a thermal camera and a finite element skin model. The FEM skin model employed in this research follows the commonly used five-layer model and is constructed in Siemens Simcenter 3D to be able to simulate the cryogenic cooling on the skin. It is possible to improve the thermal images by choosing an appropriate cooling method, cooling sequence and optimised measurement setup. While the FEM skin model shares certain similarities with the measurement data, there is room for further enhancements to optimise its performance. The acquired data is analysed to assess the effectiveness of the combined technique compared to existing clinical and diagnostic methods.

KEYWORDS:

• Finite element model
• skin cancer
• dynamic infrared thermography
• data augmentation
• FEM
• Pennes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded by the Research Foundation-Flanders via support for the FWO research project, “Optimized skin tissue identification by combined thermal and hyperspectral imaging methodology”. (Project number 41882 [FWO G0A9720N] Jan Verstockt).

Notes on contributors

Jan Verstockt

Jan Verstockt graduated Magna cum laude in 2016 from Ghent University, Belgium, he earned his Master of Science in Electromechanical Engineering Technology. In 2019, his pursuit of knowledge led him to Halmstad University in Sweden, where he achieved a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, a remarkable accomplishment crowned with the prestigious Student of the Year award for the 2018-2019 academic year. Following these academic triumphs, Jan embarked on a career at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, where he commenced as an assistant lecturer, eager to share his expertise and passion for the subject matter. In 2020, his journey reached a pivotal milestone as he embarked on a groundbreaking Ph.D. endeavor, titled ”Thermal Measurement and Numerical Modelling Methodology for Skin Pathology Screening.”

Ruben Somers

Ruben Somers graduated in 2022 from the University of Antwerp with a Master of Science in Electromechanical Engineering Technology. His master thesis was on the subject of finite element modelling of human skin in combination with thermography. He currently works as a mechanical engineer and designer in various industries such as food, (bio-) pharma and industrial applications.

Filip Thiessen

Filip Thiessen graduated from the University of Antwerp in 2002. He specialized in plastic surgery at the University Hospital in Ghent, Belgium. Dr. Thiessen also pursued further specialization at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London, UK. During a fellowship at the 'Coupure Centrum' with Dr. Tonnard and Dr. Verpaele, he specialized in aesthetic facial surgery. Since January 1, 2011, Dr. Thiessen has been working at the University Hospital in Antwerp. He is head of the training program for plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery at the University of Antwerp. Dr. Thiessen also works at ZNA campus Middelheim, where he serves as the head of the department of plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery. Additionally, he practices as a plastic surgeon at AZ Rivierenland campus Rumst. Dr. Thiessen collaborates on scientific research with the research groups ASTARC and InViLab at the University of Antwerp. Dr. Thiessen is the author and co-author of multiple scientific publications in both aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery journals. His scientific research culminated in the completion of his doctoral thesis titled ”Optimizing breast reconstruction after mastectomy: the use of Dynamic Infrared Thermography (DIRT)” in October 2020.

Isabelle Hoorens

Isabelle Hoorens graduated as a medical doctor in 2012, and received a PhD at the department of Dermatology at Ghent University were she is currently working as a dermatologist and postdoctoral fellow. She is experienced in clinical research and published over 30 papers on skin cancer in high impact journals. More recently she focused her research towards non-invasive imaging devices for skin cancer diagnosis such as confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography, as well as infrared thermography.

Lieve Brochez

Lieve Brochez is a highly esteemed medical professional and academic, with a focus on dermatology and oncology. She is currently serving as the head of the clinic at the Dermatology Department of UZ Gent. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she is also a full professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at UGent2.Her research interests are broad and multifaceted, encompassing skin cancer, tumor immunology, and the microbiome. She has particular expertise in immune monitoring. Prof. Brochez is also deeply involved in skin cancer prevention efforts, utilizing tools such as imaging, ex vivo dermoscopy, teledermatology, and artificial intelligence.

Gunther Steenackers

Gunther Steenackers was born on January 18th, 1977 in Vilvoorde, Belgium. He received the degree of electro-mechanical engineering from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in July 2000. From 2000 to 2004 he worked as an industrial project engineer for the company LMS International. In 2004 he rejoined VUB to perform Ph.D. research in the Acoustics and Vibration Research Group and received his Ph.D. in 2008. The focus of his research is on the subject of experimental identification and optimization of mechanical systems, making use of regressive finite element models. His current research focuses on IR thermography measurements, finite element modeling, and design optimization techniques. Since 2012, he is a professor at the University of Antwerp and guest professor at the VUB teaching Mechanics, computer-aided engineering, and finite element courses. Currently, he is supervising 8 Ph.D. students with a focus on IR thermography, non-destructive testing, FE modeling, and statistical shape modeling. Besides his full-time position at Antwerp University, he is as well attached as a guest professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussels University Laval and research collaborator on the OnDuty! Project since the end of 2017. He is also a member of different national and international consortia (FLAG, SAMPE, NEXOR) with a focus on establishing IR thermography as an optical measurement technique in an industrial context. In 2020 he was promoted full professor and became the director of the Electromechanics Dept, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UAntwerp.