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[Noninvasive imaging procedures in the diagnosis and therapy control of varicoceles. I: Sonography and thermography in the diagnosis of varicoceles].

69 patients with clinically suspected varicoceles were examined thermographically and sonographically prior to testicular phlebography. The combination of sonography and thermography permitted precise differentiation into normal findings (7%), left-sided varicoceles (86%) and bilateral varicoceles (7%). Thermography was advantageous with an accuracy of 97.3%. Sonography had an accuracy of 90.5%. No clear correlation was found between varicocele size and degree of hyperthermia. The combination of sonography and thermography affords a high degree of accuracy in the diagnosis of varicoceles, including subclinical and infantile varicoceles.

Adolescent↗

The utilization of contact liquid crystal thermography in the evaluation of temporomandibular dysfunction.

A previously diagnosed patient population of 109 volunteers having temporomandibular dysfunction agreed to undergo pretreatment and post-treatment thermographic examination. In 1988, at the time of this study, a contact liquid crystal thermographic unit was utilized in accordance with the protocol advocated by the Academy of Neuro-Muscular Thermography. The examination consisted of pretreatment and post-treatment thermograms repeated in a series of three sets, i.e., in triplicate, incorporating four different views per set, namely, frontal face, right lateral face, left lateral face, and posterior cervical. This study revealed that the application of contact liquid thermography in the evaluation of temporomandibular dysfunction was a reliable, valid, and efficacious diagnostic tool in approximately 95% of the cases. Resolution of thermographic asymmetry and/or decrease in Delta T was demonstrated in approximately 81% of the post-treatment population. Thermography also proved to be a reliable indicator of pretreatment duration of dysfunction (chronicity pattern) in approximately 78% of the cases.

Adolescent↗

Microwave thermography: principles, methods and clinical applications.

We review the physical principles, method of operation, measurement limitations, and potential medical applications of microwave thermography. We present detailed results of a study of breast cancer detection at 1.3 and 3.3 GHz, including the dependence of detection rates on microwave frequency, time, tumor depth, and tumor size. At 1.3 GHz, microwave thermography detects breast cancer as well as infrared thermography (true-positive rate = 0.76 when true-negative rate = 0.63). When the two methods are combined, the true-positive rate increases by about 0.1 over that of either method alone.

Breast Neoplasms↗

A numerical study on the influence of vulnerable plaque composition on intravascular thermography measurements.

Intracoronary thermography is a technique that measures lumen wall temperatures for vulnerable plaque detection. In this paper the influence of vulnerable plaque composition on lumen wall temperatures was studied numerically. Concerning the vulnerable plaque heat generation, the location of the heat source and its heat production were varied. Concerning the heat transfer, the thermal properties of the lipid core and the location of the vasa vasorum were studied. The heat source location was the main determinant of the lumen wall temperature distribution. The strongest effect was noted when the heat producing macrophages were located in the shoulder region leading to focal spots of higher temperature. The maximal lumen wall temperature was mainly determined by the heat production of the macrophages and the cooling effect of blood. The insulating properties of the lipid core increased lumen wall temperatures when the heat source was located in the cap and the presence of vasa vasorum lowered the temperatures. These results show that the lumen wall temperature distribution is influenced by vulnerable plaque composition and that intracoronary thermography techniques require a high spatial resolution. To be able to couple temperature measurements to plaque vulnerability, intracoronary thermography needs to be combined with an imaging modality.

Animals↗

Infra-red thermography in the assessment of sacro-iliac inflammation.

In a cross-sectional study designed to investigate the sensitivity of infra-red thermography in the detection of sacro-iliac regions were examined by thermography in a group of patients with ankylosing spondylitis and compared with normal volunteers and patients with other causes of low back pain. Thermograms were recorded both quantitatively via profile measurements across the sacro-iliac regions and sacrum and qualitatively via the pattern recorded by photography. Sacro-iliac disease activity was recorded clinically on the same day and was low overall in the patients examined. Thirteen of the 30 ankylosing spondylitis patients were abnormal thermographically either by profile or pattern measurements. None of the 13 patients with other causes of low back pain had increased sacro-iliac activity on thermography. None of four patients without X-ray evidence of sacro-iliitis was abnormal thermographically but there was a trend for increasing thermographic activity to be associated with increasing clinical activity. It was concluded that the thermographic technique examined was of little help in the diagnosis of early sacro-iliitis but might be more helpful in the objective serial assessment of sacro-iliitis in individual patients with active disease.

Adult↗

Making of a facial perforator map by thermography.

It has been confirmed that thermography is an effective method by which to locate perforators to be used for local flaps. One disadvantage of thermography is its complicated procedure. If it was possible to identify perforators quickly and easily, many operations would be dramatically simplified. The authors' objective was to develop a method of mapping surface perforators using thermography. They pressed a vinyl bag filled with ice water against a test area for 25 seconds and began photographing the area directly after icing. Almost all of the enhanced hot spots appeared for 65 seconds after icing. The number and locations of enhanced perforating vessels varied widely, which they anticipated as a result of differences among individuals, and fluctuations in the measuring environment and the performance of measuring instruments. However, the presence of many perforators is common, and these images are considered to be reliable. Based on their findings, the authors consider the facial perforator map to be accurate and useful. Application of the facial perforator map may simplify many operations and may contribute to making surgery safer and more effective.

Adult↗

Neuromuscular thermography of the lumbar spine with CT correlation.

Fifteen asymptomatic volunteers and 19 patients with current CT (GE 8800 CT/T) scans demonstrating either thecal sac contour distortion or nerve root displacement from disc rupture or spinal stenosis of the L4-L5 or L5-S1 levels judged to be at least moderate in severity underwent lumbar thermography. All patients were studied with an infrared telethermographic unit (AGA model 720M) employing the technical standards recommended by the Academy of Neuromuscular Thermography. The thermographic exams were interpreted independently and in a blind fashion by two radiologists. Of the 15 exams of asymptomatic patients, six were interpreted as positive and consistent with nerve fiber irritation. Of the 19 exams of patients with demonstrated CT abnormalities, all had positive thermograms for nerve fiber irritation (specificity 60%, sensitivity 100%). It is concluded that lumbar thermography is a sensitive examination for detecting those patients who will demonstrate lumbar spinal CT abnormalities and should play an important role in the diagnostic screening of low-back pain syndrome patients.

Adult↗

Diagnostic accuracy of technologies used in low back pain assessment. Thermography, triaxial dynamometry, spinoscopy, and clinical examination.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective blind study compared three new technologies to assess back pain. OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic accuracy and comparability of thermography, triaxial dynamometry, and spinoscopy in the assessment of recent onset work-related low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The role of these technologies in assessing patients with low back pain is unproved. METHODS: Forty-one patients with low back pain and 46 control subjects were assessed by each technology and by two clinical examiners blind to clinical status. Twenty patients were trained to simulate a healthy back without low back pain, and 50% of the control subjects were trained to simulate the presence of a low back pain disorder. Each technology was interpreted on two occasions by each of two readers. RESULTS: Thermography performed significantly worse than did triaxial dynamometry, spinoscopy, and clinical examination. The diagnostic accuracy of the last three was similar, and inter-rater comparability did not differ significantly. Among simulators, the diagnostic accuracy of triaxial dynamometry and spinoscopy was significantly higher than that of clinical examination, although considerable inaccuracy remained in assessing individual subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic accuracy of thermography in recent onset low back pain does not support its use. Among those simulating normality or low back pain, triaxial dynamometry and spinoscopy have greater diagnostic accuracy than does a single clinical evaluation. However, for an individual, the inaccuracy that remains limits the use of triaxial dynamometry or spinoscopy for diagnosis in recent onset low back pain.

Adult↗

Facial thermography is a sensitive tool to determine antihistaminic activity: comparison of levocetirizine and fexofenadine.

AIMS: To assess the antihistaminic activity of levocetirizine and fexofenadine 2 h and 24 h after drug administration using facial thermography and to compare the results with those using well-established parameters of antihistaminic activity in the nose and skin. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, three-treatment, three-period, single-dose, cross-over study in healthy males taking levocetirizine 5 mg, fexofenadine 120 mg or placebo. The primary endpoint was nasal skin temperature after nasal histamine challenge recorded for 20 min at 2 and 24 h after drug intake. The secondary endpoints were nasal symptoms and a histamine skin prick test. RESULTS: Thirty subjects were randomized. At 2 h after drug intake the inhibition of the nasal temperature increase from baseline was not significantly different between levocetirizine and fexofenadine. At 24 h it was significantly more pronounced after levocetirizine than fexofenadine (difference: least-squares mean: -0.13 degrees C; P < or = 0.024, 95% CI -0.24, -0.02). Both drugs significantly reduced (P < or = 0.001) the mean temperature increase from baseline compared with placebo at 2 and 24 h (least-squares mean increase and (95% CI): levocetirizine, -0.28 degrees C (-0.42, -0.14) and -0.32 degrees C (-0.43, -0.21); fexofenadine -0.35 degrees C (-0.49, -0.21) and -0.19 degrees C (-0.30, -0.08), respectively). Results of nasal symptom score and wheal and flare were consistent with the thermography results. CONCLUSIONS: Facial thermography is an objective, non-invasive and sensitive method to study antihistaminic activity at the nose level. Levocetirizine and fexofenadine demonstrate the same activity at 2 h after drug intake, but levocetirizine has a more sustained activity at 24 h.

Adolescent↗

Bone marrow hypervascularity in patients with myelofibrosis identified by infra-red thermography.

Infra-red thermography was used to assess bone marrow vascularity in six patients with myelofibrosis secondary to myeloproliferative disorders (four primary myelofibrosis and two primary proliferative polycythaemia). The technique was evaluated with conventional static and dynamic radio-isotopic imaging and with immunohistochemical staining of bone marrow biopsies. Infra-red thermography identified increased bone marrow blood flow in patients with established myelofibrosis and correlated with dynamic radio-isotopic studies of blood flow and hypervascularity identified by immunohistochemistry. Increased bone marrow blood flow and vascular proliferation was not confined to the central bone marrow but also extended into the peripheral marrow of the long bones. Endothelial cell proliferation may be an initiating event in the pathogenesis of myelofibrosis but evaluation of bone marrow vascularity and blood flow has hitherto relied on invasive and complicated techniques. This study has identified bone marrow hypervascularity in patients with myelofibrosis and shown infra-red thermography to be a simple non-invasive method of assessing vascularity. This non-invasive technique may be used to study disease progression and response to therapeutic regimens in patients with myelofibrosis and to study bone marrow blood flow in other bone marrow disorders.

Biopsy↗

Thermography of the cardiovascular system.

The identification of vulnerable plaque is one of the primary goals in cardiology during the last years. Several techniques have been developed for the anatomic and functional assessment of atherosclerotic plaques. Thermography is a new method for the evaluation of the inflammatory process locally within the atherosclerotic plaque. Several animal and clinical studies demonstrated the value of thermography not only for the detection of inflamed atherosclerotic plaques, but its use in new fields like in the evaluation of inflammation in the coronary vascular bed and the cardiovascular system. This article reviews the developments and the clinical implications of thermography.

Cardiac Catheterization↗

Intracoronary thermography: does it help us in clinical decision making?

The concept of the "vulnerable" plaque has recently emerged to explain how quiescent atherosclerotic lesions evolve to cause clinical events. The morphologic and immunologic determinants specific for the vulnerable plaque have been reported: a large lipid core (>or=40% plaque volume) composed of free cholesterol crystals, cholesterol esters, and oxidized lipids impregnated with tissue factor; a thin fibrous cap depleted of smooth muscle cells and collagen; an outward (positive) remodeling; inflammatory cell infiltration of fibrous cap and adventitia (mostly monocyte-macrophages, some activated T cells, and mast cells); and increased neovascularity. Despite the large amount of information regarding the morphological characteristics of remote lesions, we lack studies with functional assessment of non-culprit lesions. Coronary thermography is a technique for functional assessment of coronary atherosclerotic plaques. Several catheter designs have been proposed. There are catheters with thermistor(s) and wires with thermal sensors at the distal tip. All designs have several advantages and disadvantages. Despite the current limitations of coronary thermography, we gained important pathophysiological and clinical information regarding the vulnerability of atheromatic plaques. It has been documented both experimentally and clinically that increased heat generation is associated with increased macrophage concentration within the plaque. The correlation between local inflammatory involvement and local heat generation has also been observed with the peripheral inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein. Whether systemic treatment, with agents such as statins or interventional techniques, such as drug-eluting stents, will have an impact on stabilizing vulnerable plaques need to be determined in future studies. In conclusion, although there are several techniques for evaluating morphologically atheromatic plaques, thermography is a promising method for the functional assessment of vulnerable plaque and has been introduced into clinical practice, with a good predictive value for clinical events in patients with increased temperature in the atherosclerotic plaque.

Coronary Artery Disease↗

Disease activity indexes in rheumatoid arthritis; a prospective, comparative study with thermography.

There are many difficulties associated with the assessment of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. Infrared thermography has been used to quantify joint inflammation. The heat distribution index (HDI) is reproducible, sensitive, quantifiable, and not subject to circadian variation or interobserver error. In this study the HDIs for both elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles were summated and compared with other parameters of disease activity. There were 167 sets of observations in 20 patients with classical, seropositive, rheumatoid arthritis followed up over 12 months. There was a significant correlation (p less than 0.001) for thermography with the Ritchie articular index, Mallya score, grip strength, morning stiffness, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and pain score. Significant correlations (p less than 0.05) for thermography with these parameters were found in individual patients. The summated HDI is a suitable, objective method for the assessment of response to therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Adult↗

Thermography in the detection and follow up of chondromalacia patellae.

Although diagnostic criteria for chondromalacia patellae exist, the disease is often accompanied by physical signs which are limited or non-diagnostic. Thermographic examination was performed in 157 patients with clinical diagnosis of chondromalacia patellae in 86 patients after surgical treatment for chondromalacia, and in 308 controls. Thermography can help the clinicians in establishing the diagnosis of chondromalacia patellae, but by itself is not sufficiently specific. The specificity of thermography was dependent on age, ranging from 90% for the 15-24 year age group to 65% for the 45-54 year age group. Sensitivity of the method was 68%. Thermography can disclose other knee disorders which imitate chondromalacia patellae.

Adolescent↗

Computerised infrared thermography and isotopic bone scanning in tennis elbow.

Thirty five cases of tennis elbow (17 unilateral, nine bilateral) were studied with infrared thermography and isotopic bone scanning. A hot focus was visualised in 16 of 17 cases of unilateral tennis elbow (94%) and in all nine cases of bilateral tennis elbow (100%) on infrared thermography, and abnormal increased epicondylar activity seen in 12 of 17 (71%) and eight of 18 (44%) cases respectively with isotopic bone scanning. Unilateral visual cooling (somatosympathetic responses) occurred in seven of 13 cases of unilateral tennis elbow (54%) with infrared thermography, and reduced perfusion in seven of 12 (58%) of similar cases with blood pool isotopic bone scanning. Computerised temperature assessments showed statistically significant side to side temperature differences when 17 active tennis elbows were compared with the opposite normal elbows for spot temperatures, proximal and distal forearm gradients. Similar temperature assessments in 18 bilateral tennis elbows compared with 17 normal elbows showed significant temperature differences for elbow spot temperatures and distal forearm gradients, but not for proximal gradients.

Adult↗

Thermography in occlusive cerebrovascular diseases.

Cooling of the skin over the medial supraorbital region in 80% of patients who have an occlusion or severe stenosis of a carotid artery can be demonstrated by facial thermography. Minor stenotic lesions in the carotid arteries do not produce characteristic thermographic changes, while thermography is of no help in the diagnosis of vertebrobasilar arterial disease.Thermographic changes suggestive of carotid arterial lesions are found occasionally in patients whose angiograms are normal, owing to variations in the size of the frontal sinuses, or factors such as fever or inflammatory lesions.It is suggested that facial thermography is of value in the preliminary investigation of patients with occlusive cerebrovascular disease.

Angiography↗

Thermography in screening for breast cancer.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether thermography could be used to identify women with breast cancer or women at risk of developing the disease within five years. DESIGN: Women were screened for breast cancer and a documentary follow up was conducted five years later through general practitioner records. SETTING: The project involved Women resident in the Bath District Health Authority area, who were invited to attend a breast screening clinic. SUBJECTS: 10,238 women aged between 40 and 65 were screened. Of these, 4284 accepted personal letters of invitation from their general practitioners and 5954 volunteered to take part in the project in response to publicity; 9819 (96.5%) were traced after five years. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: All the women had a thermographic and clinical examination of their breasts. If either examination was abnormal they were referred for mammography. Sensitivity of thermography was found to be 61% and specificity 74%. A documentary follow up of each woman was conducted five years later, when it was found that 71.6% of the women who developed breast cancer had had a normal thermogram at the time of examination, as did 73% of those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Thermography is not sufficiently sensitive to be used as a screening test for breast cancer, nor is it useful as an indicator of risk of developing the disease within five years.

Adult↗

Comparison of Doppler sonography and plate thermography for detection of carotid artery stenosis.

Foils coated with specific cholesterol esters indicate differences in temperature by changes in color. When these foils are placed on the skin, the skin temperature measured is related to the perfusion provided by the vessels supplying this area of the skin. A group of 300 patients were examined simultaneously with plate thermography and directional Doppler sonography in order to detect obstruction or occlusions of the carotid artery. Abnormalities were found in 42 patients. In 31, the positive findings obtained by the 2 methods were in agreement. In 8 only plate thermography gave a positive result, and in 3 only Doppler sonography yielded a relevant finding. Plate thermography as a method for the detection of a stenosis or an occlusion of the carotid artery is suggested as useful for an initial screening method.

Aged↗