Infrared ThermographyBethany Therrien

ELE482- Feb. 22, 2004

Infrared thermography is thetechnique of converting infraredenergy (radiant heat) into an imagethat a person can see and understand.An infrared camera creates an imageby converting radiant heat energyinto a signal that can be displayed ona monitor (and later printed). Theinfrared energy emitted from anobject is directly proportional to itstemperature. Therefore temperaturesare accurately measured by theinfrared camera. The ability tomeasure temperature from an IRimage is called radiometry. Thisrequires sophisticated and expensiveelectronics. The ability to measure atemperature anywhere on the imageis available only on the high-endcameras like the Flir PM280 used byIRIS Associates. WHY USE INFRARED?n Adds new dimension to

diagnostic capabilities:Physiology vs Anatomy

n Physiology - 5 to 6 mm microdermal skin blood flow

n Anatomy– structure & massn Provides physician’s/patient’s

with more information• Visual reference to

differential diagnosis• Increases patient

compliance to treatmentor life-style changes

It is a diagnostic screening device usedfor Oncology, Neurology, Orthopedics,Chiropractics, and other functionalmedicine groups. Examples ofapplications of IR are cancer diagnosticsand SAR detection. The basis of cancerscreening thermography is the detection

of abnormal heat generated by newblood vessel growth in the area oftumors, as well as heat generated fromthe metabolic activity of the tumor. Theprocedure gives promise to the earliestpossible detection these abnormal cellsand thus the earliest intervention.Thermography is a non-invasive andtotally safe diagnostic tool. There wasalso an excellent discrimination betweenbenign and malignant tissue. Followingthe severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) outbreak, remote-sensinginfrared thermography (IRT) wasadvocated as a means of screening forfever in travelers at airports and bordercrossings. IRT readings from the side ofthe face, especially from the ear at 0.5m, yielded the most reliable, precise andconsistent estimates of conventionallydetermined body temperatures.

Sources/Journals:n http://0-

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.helin.uri.edu/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15544710

n http://0-www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.helin.uri.edu/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15186568