Medical thermography or infrared thermal imaging is a rapid and non-invasive procedure for mapping skin-temperature distribution of the human body. The natural infrared emission from the skin is captured by the imaging camera, and is displayed as a digital image where abnormal physiological activity in the body can be easily observed. Advanced software and high-resolution infrared detectors has allowed for a renaissance in the use of infrared thermal imaging or thermography in medical research and practice where it can be used to assist in the diagnosis of a range of conditions in a cost-effective, safe and non-invasive manner. Thermal imaging provides a two-dimensional map of skin temperature, which can often indicate a localisation of hypo or hyperthermia, and its major clinical value is in its high sensitivity to pathology in the vascular, muscular, neural and skeletal systems, and as such can contribute to the pathogenesis and diagnosis.
After a review of theory, technology and methodology of medical infrared imaging, the remainder of the book consists of a collection of clinical case studies demonstrating the wide variety of applications of thermography in modern medicine. The combined expertise from a number of centres is used to create this database of images and cases that will be invaluable for medical researchers and practitioners in making diagnoses and measuring treatment efficacy. This book is recommended reading for practising and training radiographers, medical physicists and clinicians.
Industry Reviews
It is pleasing to see this long-awaited follow up to the original "Casebook" now available in print and as an e-book. This new book, richly illustrated throughout with colour thermograms, sets out to bring the reader up-to-date. The technical section is particulary strong, with Francis Ring and Kurt Ammer discussing therograhic protocols and image analysis standards authoritatively.
The Casebook is nonetheless one of the most comprehensive collections of clinical thermography cases ever published in one text, and would be a valuable addition to any thermographer's bookshelf.
Kevin Howell 2016 Thermology International, Austrian Society of Thermology
