Digital Medical Thermal Imaging: A Bright, Multicolored Future
Medical imaging technology has made great leaps in the last few decades. Today, without surgery or guesswork, doctors can easily and non invasively diagnose abnormalities in body physiology—by use of a digital thermal imaging camera.
Because our bodies are generally symmetrical, when unusual bits of tissue are present or normal parts of the body are reacting strangely, this is evident in our body’s thermal “footprint,” so to speak. A trained doctor can identify these abnormalities.
The digital thermal imaging camera senses the heat radiation coming off the body, and looking through the camera, the doctor can see places where the colors are not normal. This identification is not entirely simple, because everybody has a different thermal “footprint.”
One impediment to the development of the technology has been misidentification of problems and misinterpretation of the results. Thermal imaging cameras were first used in the 1960s, but due to the mixed results of thermal imaging studies, the adoption of the technology has been slow. Nevertheless, visionaries have imagined potential uses of thermal imaging over the past several decades, and now those visions are becoming reality.
Early studies of cancer diagnosis through thermal imaging were only somewhat effective, but today it is a widely recognized and well-respected way to easily, quickly diagnose breast cancer. One of the most exciting new applications of digital thermal imaging technology is in the diagnosis of glaucoma patients. Only last year, scientists at Duke University discovered a new kind of glaucoma, called “narrow-angle glaucoma,” which is three times as severe as the more common open-angle glaucoma. Through digital thermal imaging, they were able to see the structures of the eye and the way the eye was draining—or not—without having to cut into the structures or disrupt the processes. Thus, they could see the flow of fluid over the eyeball and the musculature behind the eye.
Digital thermal imaging cameras are now used to diagnose a long list of ailments: brain tumors can be identified in the early stages. Chiropractors can see not only the curved spine obvious through x-rays but also the muscles surrounding, which frequently contribute to back problems. Breast cancer, prostate cancer, and skin cancer are all evident in thermal imaging. Digital thermal imaging cameras are still expensive—they range from $5,000 to $250,000, depending on the sensitivity and type of camera—but prices are beginning to come down and as potential uses for the camera expand, the cost is becoming much more easy for doctors and other medical professionals to justify.
by Elizabeth Chamberlain
References:
Chakraborty, Angsuman. “New Infrared Camera Helps Doctors to Treat Glaucoma Better Way.” The Eye Care Blog: News and Information on Eye Care and Treatment Options. http://eye.taragana.net/archive/new-infrared-camera-helps-doctors-to-treat-glaucoma-better-way/ (2 July 2009).
Strahan, Gary. “Medical Infrared Technology.” Medical Infrared: Your Online Resource for Medical Infrared Thermal Imaging Solutions. http://medicalir.com/medical-infrared-imaging-resources/medical-infrared-imaging-general-information/32-medical-infrared-thermology (2 July 2009).
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