Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Infrared imaging shows heat changes in dogs with bone tumors
By Sung, J et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2019·Department of Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Medical infrared thermal imaging of canine appendicular bone neoplasia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with a suspected bone tumor had its limbs examined using a special infrared camera that measures body heat. The imaging showed a noticeable temperature difference between the affected leg and the healthy one, helping to identify the presence of a bone tumor. While this thermal imaging can't diagnose bone cancer on its own, it can be a useful tool for early detection. This method may help veterinarians catch issues sooner, leading to better treatment options for dogs with bone tumors.
People also search for: dog bone tumor symptoms · infrared imaging for dog cancer · how to detect bone cancer in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Medical infrared thermal imaging (MITI) is a noninvasive imaging modality used in veterinary medicine as a screening tool for musculoskeletal and neurological disease processes. An infrared camera measures the surface body heat and produces a color map that represents the heat distribution. Local trauma or disease can impair the autonomic nervous system, which leads to changes in the local dermal microcirculation and subsequent alteration of surface body heat. Disruption of autonomic flow to the cutaneous vasculature at deeper levels can also result in asymmetric thermographic results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate surface temperature differences between limbs affected by bone neoplasia and their normal contralateral limbs. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in average temperature was noted between regions of interest of the two groups (paired difference: 0.53 C° ± 0.14; P = 0.0005). In addition, pattern recognition analysis yielded a 75-100% success rate in lesion identification. CONCLUSIONS: Significant alterations noted with average temperature and thermographic patterns indicate that MITI can document discernible changes associated with the presence of canine appendicular bone tumors. While MITI cannot be used as the sole diagnostic tool for bone cancer, it can be used as a screening modality and may be applicable in early detection of cancer.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31796069/