Monitoring Effects and Rare Findings
Monitoring Effects of Therapy
Clinician and patient, working together, can use thermal imaging to monitor for improvements in treatment to evaluate for changed/improved thermal patterns.
Very objective monitoring of the effects of treatment can be recorded. In this comparative study over time, (30 minutes) a significant change in the temperature differentials in the medial left leg is due to the acupuncture treatment. The entire region of interest is seen to cool but the local area of inflammation in the medial knee changes and reduces at a much greater rate.
Incidental and Rare Findings
Hyperthermia is noted at the hands bilaterally, encompassing a glove-like distribution. This may relate to either diffuse arthritic activity or to autonomic dysfunction. Correlation with diabetes screening as well as rheumatological studies (ESR, ANA and Rheumatoid Factor) can be considered if clinically indicated. (If the ΔT ºC is greater than 4 ºC proximal to distal, it is an indication of autonomic dysfunction and the majority of the time, it is diabetes). There are no significant thermal findings seen in the area on which the pointer is placed.
Imaging the upper extremities are only half the picture. The proper indicator for early indications of diabetes is the loss of normal gradients in hands and feet and full body imaging is inclusive of images from head to toe.