Clinical applications for thermography

Thirty years of clinical use and more than 8,000 peer-reviewed studies in medical literature have established thermography as a safe and effective means to examine the human body. It is non-invasive and, as such, does not require the use of radiation or other potentially harmful elements.

Since the world’s first, commercial infrared scanning camera was introduced by Agema in 1965 (a company that subsequently became FLIR Systems), the application scope of this technology has grown exponentially with its falling cost and the medical field has become one of its major beneficiaries. The technology has proven to be a useful tool in research, as well as being helpful in the diagnosis of breast cancer, nervous system disorders, metabolic disorders, neck and back problems, pain syndromes, arthritis, vascular disorders, and soft tissue injuries, among others.

Small nerve fibre dysfunction One of the latest applications of thermography includes research into small nerve fibre dysfunction using a high end scientific thermal imaging camera. While standard neurological examination and electromyography (EMG) is ideal for looking at large nerve fibres, no noninvasive technique currently exists to detect and qualify small fibre dysfunction that is common in diabetics. In research funded by the Dutch Technology Foundation (STW), thermal imaging technology is being used for this precise purpose.