Assessment of Abdominal Skin Temperature Change in Premature Newborns with NEC Compared to Healthy Controls

Abstract

Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is a painful, invasive, and rapidly progressive disease of the intestine primarily affecting premature newborns, with a mortality rate between 15-30% and no reliable methods of prevention. Current diagnostic tests do not always detect early signs of the disease. We used infrared (IR) thermal imaging to assess the abdominal surface temperature of healthy babies and those with NEC. Thermal sequences were obtained of babies taken out of the incubator and the temperature evolution post-thermal stress was monitored. Regression analysis indicates a slower decrease of superficial abdominal temperature in the NEC group, which we attribute to increased heat from inflamed bowel. We also show that differentiation between NEC and healthy babies is possible. Based on features derived from superficial abdominal temperatures, a linear classifier was trained on an optimal subset of features determined through genetic search. Results indicate a correct classification rate greater than 90 that IR imaging provides additional information that could help diagnose NEC sooner.