ABSTRACT
The human body generates heat – a byproduct of metabolism – and must dissipate it to regulate internal body temperature. The majority of metabolic heat is dispersed into the environment by the skin surface. With the ability to display thermal changes, asymmetries, inflammation, and anomalies, infrared imaging provides valid information to augment medical diagnosis and research. Yet thermography may be the most misunderstood and undervalued of all medical imaging technologies. Just as radiologists at first rejected ultrasound imaging fifty years ago, so too they officially dismiss medical thermography today. The success of clinical thermography depends on its proper use, requiring a clear understanding of thermal physics, imager operation, patient preparation, and the imaging environment. Besides calibrated thermal imagers, the practice of human thermography depends on the preparation of the patient and the environment of the thermography room.
