• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.301-310
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• 1998

Infrared thermographic imaging visualizes noninvasively various abnormal condition by detecting the skin temperature. As the imaging represents the objective condition by the changes in blood flow under the control of autonomic nervous system, it is used to diagnosis and monitor the lumboscral radiculopathy. And asymmetry is important in the diagnosis of disc herniation. The most common type of disc herniation occurs psoterolaterally. This frequently causes nerve root compression leading to a radiculopathy in the distribution of the involved nerve root, most of which also provoke the asymmetric changes in thermography. Central disc herniation, which accounts for 5% to 35% of disc herniation, is typically associated with low back pain. But radiculopathy is usually abscent unless central disc heriniaton is large enough to cause compression of the cauda equina. To evalute the diagnostic value of the thermographic imaging in the diagnosis of central disc herniation, the imaging of 15 normal subjects and 48 patients with central disc herniation documented by CT scan were analyzed. The patients had either bilateral radiculophathy or no radiculopathy. The imaging of patient group with non rediculopathy did not show any significant thermal difference to control. While bilateral radiculopathy group reveled hypothermic pattern compared twith control. Thermal difference between left and right side did not present any significance in non radiculopathy group but hypothermia in bilateral radiculopathy group. Large herniation group demonstrated hyperthemic pattern while the others showed no significant change. Cranial caudal thermal difference did not show any difference between experiment groups. These results shows that infrared thermographic imaging can be used central disc herniation with bilateral radiculopathy, while it seems to little useful on the diagnosis of non radiculopathic disc herniation.

• Journal of Korean Medical Ki-Gong Academy
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.52-62
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• 2014

Objective : The aim of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of Korean Medicine treatment on post-hysterectomy syndrome patients by thermographic change during treatment. Methods : 5 female patients who had a hysterectomy within a year were treated with Korean Medicine concluding acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping therapy, herbal bath. We evaluated the thermographic differences by checking Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging(D.I.T.I.) at CV17(膻中), CV4(關元), ST3(巨髎), BL15(心兪), and BL23(腎兪). Results : In consequence of Korean Medicine Treatment for 3 weeks, thermographic differences between CV17(膻中) and CV4(關元), ST3(巨髎) and CV4(關元), BL15(心兪), and BL23(腎兪) tended to decrease. Conclusion : After Korean Medicine treatment, thermographic differences between upper body and lower body tended to decrease cause shangrexiahanzheng(上熱下寒證) made by hysterectomy became moderated.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.9 no.3 s.21
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• pp.139-145
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• 2006

Objectives : The purpose of this case in so report the patient with Reflex sympathetic dystrophy, who is improved by Bee venom. Method : We treated the patient with Bee venom who was suffering from Reflex sympathetic dystrophy, using Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging and Verbal Numerical Rating Scale(VNRS) to evaluate the therapeutic effects. We compared the temperature of the patient body before and after treatment. Result and Conclusion : We found that Bee venom had excellent outcome to relieve pain, atrophy and ankle joint ROM, and that Bee venom also had clinical effect on hypothermia on the Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.53-60
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• 2002

Neurosensory dysfunction of the injured inferior alveolarnerve(IAN) is a common and distrssing consequence of traumatic or iatrogenic injury. Conventional neurosensory testing has been used to detect and monitor sensory impairments of the injured IAN. However, these tests had low reliability and are not qualitative at best because they are based on solely on the patient's subjective assesment of symptoms. Consequently, there is need for more reliable, sensitive, and objective test measures to document and to monitor sensory dysfunction of the trigeminal nerve. This study was to investigate DITI's (digital infrared thermographic imaging) potential as a diagnostic alternative for evaluating of the nerve injures and sensory disturbance. Subjects were 30 patients who had been referred to Ewha Medical Center due to sensory disturbance of the lower lip and chin followed after unobserved inferior alveolar nerve injuries. The patients were examined by clinical neurosensory tests as SLTD (static light touch discrimination), MDD (moving direction discrimination), PPN (pin prick nociception) and DITI (digital infrared thermographic imaging). The correlation between clinical sensory dysfunction scores(Sum of SLTD, MDD, PPN, NP, Tinel sign) and DITI were tested by Spearman nonparametric rank correlation anaylsis & Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon 2-sample test. This study resulted in as follows; (1) The difference of thermal difference between normal side and affected side was as ${\Delta}-3.2{\pm}0.13$. (2) The DITI differences of the subjects presenting dysesthesia of the lip and chin were correlated significantly with the neurosensory dysfunction scores(r=0.419, p=0.021)and SLTD (r=0.429, p<0.05). (3) The MDD, PPN, NP, Tinel sign, duration, gender were not correlated with DITI(p> 0.05). Therefore, the DITI(digital infrared thermographic imaging) can be an option of the useful objective diagnostic methods to evaluate the injured inferior alveolar nerve and sensory dysfunction of trigerminal nerve.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.85-92
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to find diagnostic points and define the cut off values of hot flashes by using digital infrared thermographic imaging. Methods: Thermographic images of 75 patients with hot flashes (HF, n=35) and non-hot flashes (NHF, n=40) were retrospectively reviewed. We used the temperature difference between Ex-HN3 and CV17, LU4, CV12, CV4 for diagnosing hot flashes. The temperature differences of between two groups were analysed using independent samples t-tests. The cut off values were calculated by received operating characteristic curve analysis. Analyses were undertaken using SPSS version 17.0. and p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The temperature difference Ex-HN3 and LU4 were the most significantly different between groups (p<0.001). Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were 65.7%, 72.5%, 0.729, respectively. The optimum cut off value was defined as $1.00^{\circ}C$. Conclusions: These results suggest that the digital infrared thermographic imaging is a reliable instrument for estimating hot flashes.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.115-121
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• 2005

Objectives : This study was designed to find out the effect of seven acupoints of stroke in cerebrovascular hemiplegia patients. Methods : This study was performed on 6 patients with cerebrovascular hemiplegia (test group) and 6 health persons(control group). We measured temperature of skin surface of test and control group using digital infrared thermographic imaging(D.I.T.I) after acupunture on seven acupoints of stroke. And we calculated difference of skin temperature between healthful and affected side for each groups. Results : There was significant difference in area 3 in both two groups between before and after acupuncture. But in general there Was no significant difference between two groups on thermographic change. Conclusions : This is pilot study, so further studies are required to find out the effect of seven acupoints of stroke in cerebrovascular hemiplegia patients.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.286-290
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• 2015

We report a case of neurilemmoma of deep peroneal nerve sensory branch that triggered sensory change with compression test on lower extremity. After resection of tumor, there are evoked thermal changes on pre- and post-operative infrared (IR) thermographic images. A 52-year-old female presented with low back pain, sciatica, and sensory change on the dorsal side of the right foot and big toe that has lasted for 9 months. She also presented with right tibial mass sized 1.2 cm by 1.4 cm. Ultrasonographic imaging revealed a peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising from the peroneal nerve. IR thermographic image showed hyperthermia when the neurilemoma induced sensory change with compression test on the fibular area, dorsum of foot, and big toe. After surgery, the symptoms and thermographic changes were relieved and disappeared. The clinical, surgical, radiographic, and thermographic perspectives regarding this case are discussed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.573-578
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• 2001

Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the correlation between prognosis and differential temperature of Digital infrared Thermographic Imaging in Bell's palsy. Methods: The clinical data and thermographic images were analyzed on 50 cases of Bell's palsy who were treated ambulatory in Dong-so oriental hospital from October 2000 to May 2001 And 32case were selected who underwent thermographic imaging within 7days of onset. Results: There was no statistic significance between ${\Delta}T$ and the length of treatment, but the length of treatment tends to grow as ${\Delta}T$ increased. The length of treatment was shortest in normal thermal pattern, followed by hyperthermal and hypothermal. Conclusions: According to the results, there was a tendency that ${\Delta}T$ value is proportional to treatment days, although it is not significant statistically.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.95-102
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to define the cut off values of cold hypersensitivity of hands by using digital infrared thermographic imaging(DITI). Methods: Thermographic images of 130 patients with cold hypersensitivity of hands(CHHG, n=65) and non-cold hypersensitivity of hands(NCHHG, n=65) were retrospectively reviewed. We used the temperature difference the palm(PC8) and the upper arm(LU4) for diagnosing cold hypersensitivity of hands. The temperature differences of between two groups were analysed using independent samples t-tests. The cut off values were calculated by ROC curve analysis. Analyses were undertaken using SPSS version 17.0. P value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The temperature difference the palm(PC8) and the upper arm(LU4) were significantly different between groups(p < 0.001). Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were 70.8%, 73.8%, respectively both hands. The AUC was 0.822 on right hand and 0.818 on left hand. The optimum cut-off value was defined as $-0.05^{\circ}C$. Conclusions: These results suggest that DITI is a reliable instrument for estimating the cold hypersensitivity of hands.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1 s.29
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• pp.132-140
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• 1995

Object : This study is designed to evaluate the correlation between the data of DITI(Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging)examination and the changes of clinical symptom after the therapy of acupuncture in the patients with herniated cervical intervertebral disc. Content : The conservative therapy with acupuncture was performed during $4{\sim}5$ weeks, The acupuncture points of SI3, B62, TE3, G34, LI4, S36, GV26, G21, SII5 were used. In the pre- and post therapy, DITI examinations were performed in patients who had HIVD and were treated by acupuncture simultaneously, and then tried to correlate the results of clinical symptoms with the difference of thermographic findings at pre-acupuncture and post-acupuncture. Setting : The standard routine thermoghaphic examinations were performed with thermography(DITI) in the 15 patients with lumbar disc herniations at pre- and post acupuncture. Patient : Thermographic imaging of 15 cases were analyzed. They has disc herniations in X-ray, CT scan and MRI and they were treated by acupuncture theraphy in our hospital from March, 1994 to January, 1995. Result : 1) The causes were trauma(60%), retention of phlegm and fluid(8.7%) and cold & moisture(33.3%) 2) Levels of herniated cervical disc are C2/3(1 case). C3/4(2 cases), C5/6 & C6/7 (2 cases), C6/7(4 cases), Normal(6 cases). 3) Classifications of thermographic pattern are radiculopathy(80%), spot(13.3%), and nonspecific(6.7%) in order. 4) In evaluation Results of clinical symptom are Excellent(80%), Good(6.7%), and Poor(6.7%). Data of DITI are Excellent(80%), Good(6.7%), Fair(6.7%), and Poor(6.7%). Conclusion ; Acupuncture showed good results over 86.7% in clinical evaluation and 86.7% in DITI. Thermographic examination was valuable in the evaluation of therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment.