| Breast thermography | |
|---|---|
| Intervention | |
Invasive cell carcinoma in a 51 year old woman photographed with a thermographic camera |
|
| ICD-9-CM | 88.85 |
| MeSH | D013817 |
Breast thermography uses digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) to make diagnostic-quality images of the breasts’ radiant infrared energy for the detection of cancer.
While preliminary research has shown promise in using thermography for breast cancer screening further research is required to determine its full potential.[1][2] The Food and Drug Administration however states that it is not a substitute for mammography.[3] Enthusiasts view it however as an adjunct.[4]
Contents |
The etymology of the word Infrared is: L, infra, below + AS, read, red [5] of “below the red” describing a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths between one micrometer and one millimeter, that is perceived as heat.[6] These wavelengths are longer than those of visible light but shorter than those of microwaves or radiowaves.
The etymology of the word Mammography is: L, mamma, breast + GK, gamma, record [5] or “breast image”. This term has come to be used to describe an X-ray image of the breast but is more correctly used in medical parlance in conjunction with imaging modalities used to derive diagnostic breast images, such as MRI Mammogram, Ultrasound Mammogram, etc.
Thermology is the medical science that derives diagnostic indications from diagnostic-quality infrared images of the human body by the use of highly-resolute and sensitive infrared (thermographic) cameras. Breast thermography is completely non-contact and imparts no form of radiation energy onto or into the body.
Thermography was first used as a screening tool for breast cancer in 1956.[1] In 1982, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) listed thermography as a diagnostic technique for breast cancer and reaffirmed that position again in 2005.[7]
|
||||||||||||||||||||