Growth in Medical IR Field Depends Upon Consensus, Standards:
In the past 10 years, there has been consistent growth within the medical thermal imaging industry. Unfortunately, many well-intended physicians use thermography as a diagnostic tool with limited training. Until standards and protocols for thermographic examinations are established, physicians run the risk of providing erroneous information and misdiagnosis to their patients.

Numerous errors can impact the accuracy of thermal images. In order for the view of the patient to be accurate, the area being scanned cannot be clothed. Failing to remove hair from the face and neck can block temperature data, rendering a thermogram impermissible in a court of law. And physicians should also be made aware of a number of variables, many surprising, which can affect their findings and the images they are taking.

Without the proper training, medical thermal imaging can be ineffective, or worse, inaccurate. Pre-examination protocol must be followed to obtain the highest quality medical thermograms. Image capture and views must be globally accepted so that the quality of the patient’s exam does not result in an unreliable or inaccurate diagnosis. Used correctly, medical thermograms provide visual images of diseases like breast cancer, carpal tunnel and arthritis. But without proper training, the thermograms lack the sophistication that physicians, insurance companies and legal teams demand.

Courtesy of Dr. William Cockburn, Medical Thermal Imaging of Los Angeles, in Inframation 2006 Proceedings.