Analysis and Application of Thermography in Medical Diagnosis

  • T. J. Love
Chapter

Abstract

Thermography is the term used to describe the technique of mapping skin temperature patterns and the interpretation of that information to assess physiologic status. The temperature map is typically obtained with a scanning infrared radiometer; a CRT typically provides a visual image of the map. Temperature levels may be displayed by various shades of grey or by colors representing discrete temperature levels. Photographs of the displayed image provide a record of the temperature patterns. Liquid crystals applied directly to the skin or encapsulated in sheets of plastic have also been used to portray skin temperature. Skin temperature maps have been used in a wide range of medical applications. These applications include, but are not limited to, breast cancer detection, assessment of peripheral vascular disease, soft tissue trauma, infection, rheumatology, detection of thyroid cancer, viability of skin flaps, monitoring densitized tissues, diagnosis of occlusive disease of the carotid artery, and diagnosis and treatment-monitoring in headache. Applications will be treated in detail later in this chapter.

Keywords

Skin Temperature Blood Perfusion Superficial Vein Fibrocystic Disease Soft Tissue Trauma 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Plenum Press, New York 1985

Authors and Affiliations

  • T. J. Love
    • 1
  1. 1.School of Aerospace, Mechanical, and Nuclear EngineeringUniversity of OklahomaNormanUSA

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