Thermography Device Research Articles

An Innovative Thermal Imaging Prototype for Precise Breast Cancer Detection: Integrating Compression Techniques and Classification Methods.

Breast cancer detection at an early stage is crucial for improving patient survival rates. This work introduces an innovative thermal imaging prototype that incorporates compression techniques inspired by mammography equipment. The prototype offers a radiation-free and precise cancer diagnosis. By integrating compression and illumination methods, thermal picture quality has increased, and the accuracy of classification has improved. Essential components of the suggested thermography device include an equipment body, plates, motors, pressure sensors, light sources, and a thermal camera. We created a 3D model of the gadget using the SolidWorks software 2020 package. Furthermore, the classification research employed both cancer and normal images from the experimental results to validate the efficacy of the suggested system. We employed preprocessing and segmentation methods on the obtained dataset. We successfully categorized the thermal pictures using various classifiers and examined their performance. The logistic regression model showed excellent performance, achieving an accuracy of 0.976, F1 score of 0.977, precision of 1.000, and recall of 0.995. This indicates a high level of accuracy in correctly classifying thermal abnormalities associated with breast cancer. The proposed prototype serves as a highly effective tool for conducting initial investigations into breast cancer detection, offering potential advancements in early-stage diagnosis, and improving patient survival rates.

Beyond visual inspection: The value of infrared thermography in skin diseases, a scoping review.

Although warmth is a key sign of inflammatory skin lesions, an objective assessment and follow-up of the temperature changes are rarely done in dermatology. The recent availability of accurate, sensitive and cost-effective thermography devices has made the implementation of thermography in clinical settings feasible. The aim of this scoping review is to summarize the evidence around the value and pitfalls of infrared thermography (IRT) when used in the dermatology clinic. A systematic literature search was done for original articles using IRT in skin disorders. The results concerning the potential of IRT for diagnosis, severity staging and monitoring of skin diseases were collected. The data on the sensitivity and specificity of IRT were extracted. Numerous studies have investigated IRT in various skin diseases, revealing its significant value in wound management, skin infections (e.g. cellulitis), vascular abnormalities and deep skin inflammation (e.g. hidradenitis suppurativa). For other dermatological applications such as the interpretation of intradermal and patch allergy testing, hyper-/anhidrosis, erythromelalgia, cold urticaria and lymph node metastases more complex calculations, provocation tests or active cooling procedures are required. Dermatologists should be aware of a learning curve of IRT and recognize factors contributing to false positive and false negative results. Nonetheless, enough evidence is available to recommend IRT as a supplement to the clinical evaluation for the diagnosis, severity and follow-up of several skin diseases.

Thermographic device with a calibrating element for enhanced precision of human temperature measurement

Elevated temperature of humans can be an indicator of many diseases and its measurement is therefore a common diagnostic tool. Thermographic methods allow of non-contact, fast and automated measurement. Their main disadvantage, however, is a lower accuracy than is usually required for the measurement of the core body temperature. Athermographic device with an internal calibrating element for enhanced precision measurement is introduced in this study. It is a compact device for face/eyes temperature diagnostics, which uses a micro-bolometer based infrared detector and the active calibrating element. The calibrating element is embedded in the device casing and heated to a temperature close to the body core temperature 37 °C. It allows a high precision body temperature measurement with an accuracy comparable with a thermographic measurement enhanced by an external blackbody, but it keeps the device very compact and mobile. The device and its function are described in the paper. Results of verification and calibrating experiments with a black body are presented. A fairly good standard deviation of about ± 0.2 °C is demonstrated. The mean eyes maximum temperature 35.77 ± 0.42 °C obtained by an evaluation of a long-term temperature measurement on faces of human testers confirmed accuracy and effectivity comparable with a standard thermographic devices measurement enhanced by and external blackbody.

ESTUDIO COMPARATIVO TERMOGRÁFICO MEDIANTE SMARTPHONE Y CÁMARA EN EDIFICIOS

The cost of thermographic cameras has significantly decreased in recent years, making it an accessible and cost-effective solution for building and infrastructure inspection. With advancements in technology, low-cost thermographic devices have now become readily available in the market. These cost-effective devices offer a more convenient and accessible option for individuals and businesses to perform onsite temperature measurements. In this paper, we examine the capabilities and limitations of a thermal-equipped smartphone and the potential impact on the thermography industry by comparison with a dedicated thermographic camera. The advantages of thermography still hold true for recent low-cost devices: non-invasive inspections, quick and efficient measurements, and hidden defects easily detected. The low-cost thermal-equipped smartphone proved to be a highly maneuverable system, easy to use and with option of overlapping with real color image, what facilitates the interpretation. The low-cost system is also characterized by a larger field of view but also by a lower resolution, what makes it impracticable for measuring small objects. In any case, integration of non-destructive technologies in smartphones opens up a whole new world of possibilities for spreading the inspection of as-built buildings and infrastructures and democratizing the technology. Keywords: Low-Cost; inspection; thermal bridges; energy sustainability; energy efficiency; digital twins.

Comparison of a hand-held high-end resolution infrared thermography (FLIR P640) and a smartphone infrared thermographic device (FLIR One) for the assessment of skin surface temperature after anaesthetising the median nerve in Healthy horses.

Accuracy of a median nerve block is normally assessed by testing skin sensitivity on the medial and dorsal aspects of fetlock and pastern. The present study evaluated subjective and objective analysis of skin surface temperature obtained with two different infrared (IR) thermography cameras (a high-end [FLIR P640] and a smartphone IR thermography device [FLIR One®]) before and after anaesthesia of the median nerve. Thermographic images were obtained at 0, 30, 60 and 90 minutes after performing a median nerve block with 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride. The subjective analysis of thermographic images using the FLIR P640 camera found assessors had >50% agreement for the presence of a nerve block (p<0.01) based on assessment of skin temperature within the expected dermatome of the median nerve. The objective analysis found skin temperature increases in the treated leg using the FLIR One® in the dorsal fetlock, dorsal pastern and medial pastern at 60 minutes, and the lateral pastern at 90 minutes (p<0.05). The treated leg, imaged using the FLIR P640 camera, had increases in skin temperature at the medial aspect of the fetlock at 60 minutes and lateral pastern at 90 minutes (p<0.05). Images obtained with the P640 camera had higher resolution and finer thermal detail. The images obtained with the FLIR One® camera had a wider temperature range with overall higher temperature measurements than the images obtained using the P640 camera (p<0.001). Skin temperatures in horses should be interpreted with caution when using the FLIR One® camera. Furthermore, the FLIR One® device detected an increase in skin surface temperature in both treated and non-treated legs and should not be used for assessment of a median nerve block. Infrared thermography appears to be useful for determining the presence of a high regional nerve block such as the median nerve block by observing increased temperatures of the skin surface after perineural anaesthesia. Further studies with a larger sample size as well as investigating the use of thermography for assessment of other regional nerve blocks are warranted.

A Novel Intraoperative Mapping Device Detects the Thermodynamic Response Function.

Functional activation leads to an increase in local brain temperature via an increase in local perfusion. In the intraoperative setting, these cortical surface temperature fluctuations may be imaged using infrared thermography such that the activated brain areas are inferred. While it is known that temperature increases as a result of activation, a quantitative spatiotemporal description has yet to be achieved. A novel intraoperative infrared thermography device with data collection software was developed to isolate the thermal impulse response function. Device performance was validated using data from six patients undergoing awake craniotomy who participated in motor and sensory mapping tasks during infrared imaging following standard mapping with direct electrical stimulation. Shared spatiotemporal patterns of cortical temperature changes across patients were identified using group principal component analysis. Analysis of component time series revealed a thermal activation peak present across all patients with an onset delay of five seconds and a peak duration of ten seconds. Spatial loadings were converted to a functional map which showed strong correspondence to positive stimulation results for similar tasks. This component demonstrates the presence of a previously unknown impulse response function for functional mapping with infrared thermography.

Low-Velocity Impact Damage Quantification on Sandwich Panels by Thermographic and Ultrasonic Procedures

Composite sandwich structures are widely used for their mechanical properties combined to lightweight. However, damage area quantification caused by low velocity impacts represents generally a crucial task in sandwich composites. In the last years, recent advantages of thermographic devices offer new promising and different real-time industrial and engineering applications where lower computation time, accuracy of results and convenient cost are required. The present research deals with the comparison of standard or latest image-processing methods proposed for pulsed thermography regarding their suitability for determining the impact damage area in sandwich materials made of Aluminium core an a GFRP laminated skins. The Infra-Red processed results are compared with the advanced ultrasonic Phased array method commonly employed in the industrial Non-Destructive Testing. Specifically, the damage area quantification is performed by means of an appropriate MATLAB binarization algorithm for the post-processing of acquired thermal and ultrasonic maps. The data results verify the effectiveness of the image-processing thermographic technique combined to advanced processing approaches for the quantitative assessment of impact damage in sandwich component.

Intra- and inter-session reliability and repeatability of an infrared thermography device designed for materials to measure skin temperature of the triceps surae muscle tissue of athletes.

Infrared thermography devices have been commonly applied to measure superficial temperature in structural composites and walls. These tools were cheaper than other thermographic devices used to measure superficial human muscle tissue temperature. In addition, infrared thermography has been previously used to assess skin temperature related to muscle tissue conditions in the triceps surae of athletes. Nevertheless, the reliability and repeatability of an infrared thermography device designed for materials, such as the Manual Infrared Camera PCE-TC 30, have yet to be determined to measure skin temperature of the triceps surae muscle tissue of athletes. The purpose was to determine the procedure's intra- and inter-session reliability and repeatability to determine skin temperature within the Manual Infrared Camera PCE-TC 30 thermography device in the triceps surae muscle tissue of athletes, which was initially designed to measure the superficial temperature of materials. A total of 34 triceps surae muscles were bilaterally assessed from 17 healthy athletes using the Manual Infrared Camera PCE-TC 30 thermography device to determine intra- (at the same day separated by 1 h) and inter-session (at alternate days separated by 48 h) reliability and repeatability of the skin temperature of the soleus, medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles. The triceps surae complex weas measured by a region of interest of 1 cm2 through five infrared thermography images for each muscle. Statistical analyses comprised intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), minimum detectable change (MCD), systematic error of measurement, correlation (r), and Bland-Altman plots completed with linear regression models (R 2). Intra- and inter-session measurements of the proposed infrared thermography procedure showed excellent reliability (ICC(1,2) = 0.968-0.977), measurement errors (SEM = 0.186-0.232 °C; MDC = 0.515-0.643 °C), correlations (r = 0.885-0.953), and did not present significant systematic error of measurements (P > 0.05). Adequate agreement between each pair of measurement moments was presented by the Bland-Altman plots according to the limits of agreement and non-significant linear regression models (R 2 = 0.000-0.019; P > 0.05). The proposed procedure to determine skin temperature within the Manual Infrared Camera PCE-TC 30 thermography device presented excellent intra- and inter-session reliability and repeatability in athletes' triceps surae muscle tissue. Future studies should consider the SEM and MDC of this procedure to measure the skin temperature of soleus, medial, and lateral gastrocnemius muscles to promote triceps surae muscle prevention and recovery in athletes.

Technologies for Fever Screening in the Time of COVID-19: A Review

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increasing rollout of non-contact fever screening solutions to assist in curbing the spread of disease. This study begins by describing how screening for disease has historically been performed. It proposes four measurement characteristics of an ideal screening solution: non-contact, effective, rapid and low-cost measurements. Next, it reviews the existing literature on fever-screening using non-contact infrared thermometer (NCIT) devices as well as infrared thermography (IRT) devices, as these are two technologies which have experienced increasing use. For this review, 185 research papers were identified, 21 research studies were included after inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. A total of 35 experiments were identified for analysis and their results tabulated. Of these studies, 66% are IRT and 34% are NCIT, with a median sample size of 430 subjects. 26 experiments involve febrile participants, with a median febrile percentage of 11.22 % of population. The reported sensitivity of febrile detection using NCIT varies from 3.7% to 97% and when using IRT it varies from 15% to 100%. Both indoor and outdoor studies are investigated, as well as those conducted in acute and non-acute settings. The results of this review show a clear lack of consensus on the effectiveness of these systems. Overall, these results indicate that sensitivity and specificity are reduced when using IRT and NCIT technologies compared to other thermometers used in medical practice. Their use should be carefully assessed based on the risks present in each particular measurement scenario.

A Study and Assessment of the Status of Energy Efficiency and Conservation at School Buildings

The building sector consumes a significant portion of global energy use. In this regard, this work was undertaken to study the status of energy efficiency and conservation at a large school building in the northern part of United Arab Emirates (UAE). The annual electrical consumption at the school was analyzed and an awareness survey among the students and teachers was conducted to measure the level of awareness as well as to assess the current energy consumption practices. In order to identify energy saving opportunities, an energy audit was carried out wherein the school energy consuming systems, particularly the lighting and air-conditioning systems, were assessed. Furthermore, thermography scanning of the school building envelope was conducted to examine the building insulation and identify air leakage locations. The building electricity supply and distribution systems were assessed using power analyzer and thermography devices. The energy conservation measures identified include removing the extra lighting, installing motion sensors in classrooms and labs, as well as integrating a Networked Optimization Software with the current HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system. The methodology consists of seven fundamental steps: (1) case study data collection (analysis of buildings and utility data); (2) survey of real operation conditions; (3) understanding of building behavior; (4) analysis of energy conservation measures; (5) estimation of energy-saving potential; (6) economic assessment; and (7) proposing Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs). In this regard, the school energy consuming systems (lighting, building envelope, and air conditioning (AC)) were examined to identify possible ways to reduce the school energy consumption. The results indicate that the cost of installing motion sensors in classrooms, and labs is approximately AED 20,000 (United Arab Emirates Dirham), which yields an annual energy saving of AED 93,691. Furthermore, with all energy saving measures, a total annual saving of AED 364,000 is anticipated, which is approximately 16% of the annual electricity bill.

Contactless Vital Signs Acquisition Using Video Photoplethysmography, Motion Analysis and Passive Infrared Thermography Devices During Emergency Department Walk-In Triage in Pandemic Conditions

BackgroundContactless vital signs (VS) measurement with video photoplethysmography (vPPG), motion analysis (MA), and passive infrared thermometry (pIR) has shown promise. ObjectivesTo compare conventional (contact-based) and experimental contactless VS measurement approaches for emergency department (ED) walk-in triage in pandemic conditions. MethodsPatients' heart rates (HR), respiratory rates (RR), and temperatures were measured with cardiorespiratory monitor and vPPG, manual count and MA, and contact thermometers and pIR, respectively. ResultsThere were 475 walk-in ED patients studied (95% of eligible). Subjects were 35.2 ± 20.8 years old (range 4 days‒95 years); 52% female, 0.2% transgender; had Fitzpatrick skin type of 2.3 ± 1.4 (range 1‒6), Emergency Severity Index of 3.0 ± 0.6 (range 2‒5), and contact temperature of 36.83°C (range 35.89–39.4°C) (98.3°F [96.6‒103°F]). Pediatric HR and RR data were excluded from analysis due to research challenges associated with pandemic workflow. For a 30-s, unprimed "Triage" window in 377 adult patients, vPPG-MA acquired 377 (100%) HR measurements featuring a mean difference with cardiorespiratory monitor HR of 5.9 ± 12.8 beats/min (R = 0.6833) and 252 (66.8%) RR measurements featuring a mean difference with manual RR of −0.4 ± 2.6 beats/min (R = 0.8128). Subjects' Emergency Severity Index components based on conventional VS and contactless VS matched for 83.8% (HR) and 89.3% (RR). Filtering out vPPG-MA measurements with low algorithmic confidence reduced VS acquired while improving correlation with conventional measurements. The mean difference between contact and pIR temperatures was 0.83 ± 0.67°C (range −1.16–3.5°C) (1.5 ± 1.2°F [range −2.1–6.3°F]); pIR fever detection improved with post hoc adjustment for mean bias. ConclusionContactless VS acquisition demonstrated good agreement with contact methods during adult walk-in ED patient triage in pandemic conditions; clinical applications will need further study.

Estimation of resting blood pressure using facial thermal images by separating acute stress variations

The increasing number of people with hypertension worldwide has become a matter of grave concern. Blood pressure monitoring using a non-contact measurement technique is expected to detect and control this medical condition. Previous studies have estimated blood pressure variations following an acute stress response based on facial thermal images obtained from infrared thermography devices. However, a non-contact resting blood pressure estimation method is required because blood pressure is generally measured in the resting state without inducing acute stress. Day-long blood pressure variations include short-term variations due to acute stress and long-term variations in circadian rhythms. The aim of this study is to estimate resting blood pressure from facial thermal images by separating and excluding short-term variations related to acute stress. To achieve this, short-term blood pressure variations components related to acute stress on facial thermal images were separated using independent component analysis. Resting blood pressure was estimated with the extracted independent components excluding the short-term components using multiple regression analysis. The results show that the proposed approach can accurately estimate resting blood pressure from facial thermal images, with a 9.90 mmHg root mean square error. In addition, features related to resting blood pressure were represented in the nose, lip, and cheek regions.

Laser-spot step-heating thermography to measure the thermal diffusivity of solids

In this work we show that laser-spot step-heating thermography allows measuring the thermal diffusivity of solids accurately. It consists in illuminating the sample surface with a continuous-wave focused laser spot and recording the time evolution of the surface temperature with an infrared camera. The inherent noise associated to time domain measurements is reduced by applying a very simple image processing procedure. The methodology has been tested on reference samples. Unlike laser spot lock-in (or pulsed) thermography, a step-heating thermography device can be easily put together combining a low-end laser and an entry level IR camera.

THERMOGRAPHY OF PERIODONTAL TISSUES DURING DIATHERMOCOAGULATION RETRACTION

Gingival retraction at the preparatory stage of orthopedic teeth restoration with fixed dental appliances is a common procedure in daily dental practice, the success of which will depend on the effectiveness of orthopedic treatment in general. Given certain shortcomings of well-known mechanical and mechano-chemical retraction techniques, the consequences of which may lead to unpredictable aesthetic results, the purpose of this work was to study changes in temperature of marginal gums around teeth at different stages of their orthopedic restoration by fixed metal-ceramic structures based on the thermography findings. The study included 54 patients aged 20 to 60 years, with partial or complete destruction of the coronal part, among whom there were 29 people (53.7%) who underwent gum retraction by diathermocoagulation, and 25 people (46.3%) who underwent retraction of the gingival groove with cotton threads "Ultrapak" (“Ultradent", USA). Measurements were performed prior the operation, during it, in 60 minutes after the completion of diathermocoagulation, and in 7 days after fixation of the cermet crown (14 days after retraction). The thermographic study showed that immediately after the procedure of diathermocoagulation retraction, the temperature of the marginal mucosa went up from 27.3° C (St.Err. 0.28) to 60.2° C (St.Err. 0.72) in the group 1, while in group 2 after mechanochemical retraction there was an increase in temperature from 27.3° C (St.Err. 0.30) to 28.9° C (St.Err. 0.3). 60 minutes after the end of the retraction, the average thermographic index in the group 1 was 28° C (St.Err. 0.28), while in group 2 it equalled to 28.1° C (St.Err.0.31). Control thermography on the 14th day after gum retraction showed a slight decrease to 27.1° C (St.Err. 0.29) in the group 1, and 26.72° C (St.Err. 0.29) in the group 2. The use of diathermocoagulation method of preparation (retraction) of abutment teeth in case of partial or complete destruction of their coronal part improves the quality of orthopedic treatment of patients by using metal-ceramic constructions of dentures. Analysis of thermodynamics in dental and periodontal tissues using the latest thermographic devices with subsequent computer processing of information obtained is of great prospects for further in-depth research.

Solid-State Low-Temperature Thermoresponsive and Reversible Color Changes of Conjugated Polymer in Layered Structure: Beyond Infrared Thermography.

Emergence of thermoresponsive and reversible color changes at low temperature is a challenging target. In general, it is not easy to induce sufficient dynamic motion of rigid molecules including chromophore at a lower temperature. The present work shows unusually low-temperature color-change properties originating from the dynamic motion of rigid conjugated polymer in solid state. The layered composites of polydiacetylene (PDA) and guest l-arginine (L-Arg) (PDA-(L-Arg)) exhibit temperature-responsive gradual color changes with reversibility in the range of 123-333 K in solid crystalline state. The dynamic properties are induced by gradual and reversible distortion of the π-conjugated main chain in response to temperature. The tuned flexibility of the layered structure facilitates motion of the rigid π-conjugated molecule at low temperature. The PDA-(L-Arg)-coated substrates are applied to visualization and quantification of 2D and 3D temperature distributions generated by cooling with liquid nitrogen. These thermographic devices afford to image lower temperature range than typical infrared thermography. The present work indicates potentials of layered architectures with tunable flexibility for emergence of dynamic properties.

A Robotized Non-destructive Quality Device for the Inspection of Glue Joints by Active Thermography

Due to its flexibility for use in various applications active thermography is of interest for non-destructive evaluation of defects in various materials. In particular, active thermography allows for identification of imperfections inside glue joints like delaminations, air pockets or inclusions of foreign particles. The contribution of this work is the development and validation of a small and portable device that can inspect large glue joints of fiber composites components like aircraft fuselages and wind turbine blades. The thermography device consists of a heat source and an infrared camera mounted to a mobile industrial robot system that guides the device along a trajectory above the inspection object. At the same time, images are acquired by the infrared camera and the current position of the device is monitored. The images are processed via LabVIEW to automatically detect irregularities and save the coordinates and an image of the defect in a log. This enables tracking, closer analysis and eventual repairs. Compared to previous thermography procedures this method allows downsizing of the heat source and flexible adjustments to the size and contour of the test component. As a result, it is possible to reduce testing times and divide the complete surface into small areas which allows detection of sub-millimeter defects during the manufacturing process and for example inspection of wind turbines already in operation. Therefore, this device is a powerful tool for quality management in the industry 4.0.

Influence of design to implement a thermographic device for preventing diabetic foot ulceration

The term Design Thinking highlighted the importance of design as a creative tool in promoting effective innovation; its importance has been increasing in academia as in business. Thus, today design is a more recent area of investigation whose main requirements define the limits and perspectives according to theory. In practice, it is necessary to establish the differentiation of values and innovations that make the object of study desirable. This article aims to show that the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro’s (UAQ) design-led thermal camera research and development, encourages collaboration between researchers, engineers and designers to implement this technology in a medical device whose goal is to prevent the formation of ulcers in patients with diabetic foot. The concepts applied to reach the goal are "Radical change of meaning" and "Interpreters" of the Design-Driven Innovation and the adoption of the method called “Asignification” developed in Germany by The Dark Horse design studio.

Evaluation of infrared technology to detect category I and suspected deep tissue injury in hospitalised patients.

To evaluate the use of an infrared thermography device in assessing skin temperature among category I pressure ulcer (PU) and/or suspected deep tissue injuries (SDTI) with intact skin. An observational cross-sectional study design was used. Adult inpatients (cases) who had a category I PU or suspected deep tissue injury (skin intact) on the sacral or heel during the study period (March to April 2018) were recruited. Patients without a PU were also recruited to act as control. Thermal images of the patient's PU site and non-PU site were taken within 24 hours of PU occurrence. Thermal images of the control patients (no PU) were also taken. Each PU case was matched to three control patients in terms of age, gender, race and anatomical sites. All thermal images were taken using a portable CAT S60 Thermal Imaging Rugged Smartphone (Caterpillar Inc., US) that provided readings of the skin temperature in degrees Celsius. A total of 17 cases and 51 controls were recruited. Among the cases, the mean difference in skin temperature between the PU site (mean: 31.14°C; standard deviation [SD]: 1.54) and control site within the cases (mean: 28.93°C; SD: 3.47) was significant (difference: 2.21±3.66°C; p=0·024). When comparing between all cases and controls, the mean temperature difference was non-significant. When comparing between the category I PU and suspected deep pressure injury cases, the mean difference was also non-significant. Using infrared thermography technology at the bedside to measure skin temperature will support the clinical diagnosis of patients with skin types I to III. However, there is a need for a more accurate and objective measurement to identify and diagnose early category I PU or suspected deep tissue injury in adult patients with darker skin types 4 and above, enabling early initiation of preventive measures in the hospital acute care setting.

Monitoring of the Metal Surface Temperature during Laser Processing

The principles of monitoring the laser processing of metals are considered; the design and the main parameters of the spectrophotometer designed on the base of an optical-fiber AvaSpec 2048 spectrometer with the spectral range 380–1050 nm are presented. The technique of its calibration is discussed and the obtained spectral sensitivity is reported. The measured spectra of optical and near IR radiation that forms in the contact region of CO2 laser radiation (wavelength 10.2 μm, power 1 kW) with the steel surface are presented. The problems of selecting the spectral portion in which the uncertainty of measuring temperature during contactless technological monitoring of high-temperature laser processes using thermographic devices will be minimal are discussed.

Thermo Mammogram as a Tool to Assess Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Carcinoma

Abstract Introduction: Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is predicted by clinical examination alone in locally advanced breast carcinoma. This study uses thermo mammogram (TMG) to assess the response. Aim and Objectives: The aim is to study TMG changes during NACT in breast cancer and predict response to NACT in locally advanced carcinoma and to compare clinical response with TMG response/changes in any form. Patients and Methods: All patients with locally advanced breast cancer who had treated with NACT were included in this study. Baseline TMG picture was taken using illumina360° (digital robotic rotational thermography device for 360 degree view of each breast) system before chemotherapy. TMG was repeated before next cycle. All patients were also assessed clinically during and after each cycle of chemotherapy. To assess the potential of TMG in predicting tissue response to chemotherapy, the precool, postcool, and the temperature difference between precool and postcool before every cycle were analyzed. Results: A total of 19 patients were analyzed. Eight patients had complete clinical response, six patients had partial response, and five patients had static disease. Median of precool, temperature difference between precool and postcool for patients between no response and complete response did not show statistically significant difference. However, the median of postcool spot temperature showed statistically significant difference. Median of postcool temperature difference for patients between partial response and complete response showed statistically significant difference. The median of postcool spot temperature for patients with no response and partial response did not show statistically significant difference. Precool temperature difference for all the visits showed no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: This preliminary study suggests that the TMG has potential for monitoring NACT response in breast cancer patients. Postcool temperature measurement is an early indicator of response to NACT.