The UK's Leading Independent
Thermal Imaging Specialists
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Thermal Imaging in Non-Invasive Medical Diagnoses
Thermal imaging, once an experimental tool in medicine, is now a mainstream technology for evaluating and studying a wide range of conditions and treatments. Infrared cameras work by measuring and recording temperature variations and heat distribution in the body, which can be related to a patient's physical condition in many ways. As infrared cameras have grown more sensitive, their medical efficacy has grown too.
Thermography is now routinely used in medical applications such as:
- Determining the proper level of amputation in a limb, based on blood flow
- Diagnosing a variety of muscular skeletal conditions and injuries
- Evaluating the efficacy of nerve blockade procedures for pain management. In some cases, pain levels can be measured objectively by examining changes in skin temperature
- Research into Raynaud's syndrome, where blood vessels in the fingers and toes are constricted. In recent research, IR cameras have been used to predict how body surface temperature relates to energy expenditure
- New generation, higher resolution IR cameras are now being used to detect small, early-stage cancer tumours
- Studying and testing medical equipment and devices. For example, one study thermography to examine the temperature behaviour of medical saw blades – an important factor since excessive blade heat can cause damage to surrounding tissue