A novel methodology using high resolution thermal imaging to detect vertebral fractures in children with osteogenesis imperfecta

Abstract

Vertebral compression fractures are common in children with osteogenesis imperfecta. Current imaging methods for fracture detection (X-ray and DXA) use ionising radiation. High Resolution Thermal imaging (HRTI) is a non-invasive, non-ionising method that detects infrared radiation energy emissivity to an accuracy of 0.04 °C, providing a quantitative and qualitative map of temperature distribution. Given that the alteration in blood flow in vertebral fractures acutely and chronically results in temperature change we hypothesised that HRTI may detect thermal variation in vertebral fractures in patients with OI.