About Infrared Mammography
Introduction to Thermology
Therma-Scan is pleased to introduce you to the procedure of diagnostic thermology, the medical science of diagnostic thermal imaging, or in the context of breast oncology, infrared mammography. Because we strongly believe in the public right to know and participate in their own health care, we are providing this information about medical thermology. This may be especially important because thermology is not widely available and may be poorly understood by the public and even some physicians.
Thermology in a Nutshell
Thermology is a passive and functional type of study, unlike radiology (X-ray). This means thermology does NOT use any form of ionizing radiation (such as does X-ray) as it evaluates the features of activity and operations of distinct areas of the body. The equipment used (an infrared thermograph camera) makes hundreds-of-thousands of detailed measurements of skin temperature per second at a distance of five to eight feet. The images produced are really electronic data of absolute temperature measurements that can be viewed as an electronic image presenting a spectrum of colors that indicate levels of infrared radiation (heat) being emitted from the body's surface.
A Brief History
The aura of modern thermology's cutting-edge technology obscures its venerated origins as one of Hippocrates's cardinal signs of pathology: Calor (heat). In 400 BC, Hippocrates wrote, "In whatever part of the body excess of heat or cold is felt, the disease is there to be discovered". The ancient Greek physicians of the Golden Age were known to employ a primitive form of thermology as they would apply thin mud slurry onto areas of their patient's bodies to observe the patterns and rates of drying. Modern thermology has been refined into a proper, albeit a young science with a venerated history. The first electronic infrared sensors were developed in the 1950's for military intelligence and then were provided for medicine.
The early thermographers of the modern era were accomplished and comprehensive experts in their respective fields of breast oncology, vascular medicine or neurology. These pioneering thermographers worked in specialty centers with a multi-modality approach to diagnostic medicine. They discovered that the thermograms of women with malignant breast tumors characteristically presented abnormal and high-energy blood vessels approximating the tumor. However, it was not until 1971 when Judah Folkman formalized the theory of neo-angiogenesis that the nature of these abnormal blood vessels became explained.
Thermology Today
Today, modern thermology is a highly refined science with standardized applications in Neurology, Vascular Medicine and Breast Oncology. Thermographers utilize precise FDA-approved digital imaging technology at specialized centers around the world. While some centers may choose to conduct image analysis internally, most outsource to infrared reading labs such as Therma-Scan. Analysts at these facilities use highly refined techniques and software tools to conduct diagnostic analysis and document findings.