Dynamic Thermography of the Knee Joints in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in the Course of a First Therapy of the Patient with Methylprednisolone

Journal/Book: Z Rheumatol 1999; 58: 314. 1999;

Abstract: D. Rusch; Kerckhoff Klinik Rheumatologie Stiftung W.G. Kerckhoff Herz- und Rheumazentrum Bad Nauheim The thermographic (IR) camera in our hospital gives 2 frames per second. During each frame the temperatures in two rectangular regions of interest (ROI) of the skin over the frontal aspect of the knees are computed to give an arithmetic mean value of skin temperature for each knee. Dynamic thermography in our hospital is measured in the following way: after the patient is brought to a stable supine position the two ROIs are set and the continuous temperature registration is started. After a short registration for 2 or 3 minutes the ROIs and the surrounding skin are cooled for one minute with a cold dry contact cooling aid (14°C). After cooling the rewarming of the cooled skin is measured till the final rewarming speed is lower than 0 1 °C/minute. The standard result of dynamic thermography consists of two thermograms of both legs and two graphs of the temperature course during rewarming of the skin in a linear temperature scale. In each graph the plot of the first derivative of the respective temperature course (rewarming speed in °C/minute) in a logarithmic scale is added. Our presentation will demonstrate that the slower part of the rewarming curve gives one number (the slope of the straight line y2) for the strength of thermal signs of local disease activity instead of the different signs in one or more thermograms that have to be interpreted by a skilled physician as thermal signs of inflammation. It was reported that this thermal sign of local disease activity decreases later than ESR values of RA patients (ThermoMed 7 (1991) 80-84). ... le

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