Evaluation of Thermography in the Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Comparative Study between Patient and Control Groups.

Hong, Yong Pyo; Ryu, Kyeong Sik; Cho, Byung Moon; Oh, Sae Moon; Park, Se Hyuck

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society 2006;39(6): 423-426.

Yong Pyo Hong, Kyeong Sik Ryu, Byung Moon Cho, Sae Moon Oh, Se Hyuck Park

Department of Neurosurgery, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. sehyuck@hallym.or.kr

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE
There is still debate about the diagnostic efficacy of digital infrared thermographic imaging(DITI), nevertheless, it has been used for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome(CTS). We performed comparative study between patient and control groups to investigate the diagnostic value of DITI in CTS.
METHODS
We studied 27 patients with electrodiagnostically-proven CTS and 18 symptom-free volunteers as a control. We measured thermal difference on DITI in the corresponding regions of the hands and forearms. We statistically analyzed the thermal data using a t-test.
RESULTS
The average thermal difference in the diagnosed patient group ranged from 0.0303 degrees C to 0.2856 degrees C, while that in control group ranged from 0.0611 degrees C to 0.2878 degrees C. In the CTS patient group, thermal difference between each 2nd finger was higher than that of other regions. However, there was no statistical significance between patient and control groups.
CONCLUSION
We found that the diagnostic value of DITI in CTS was not sufficient. There should be a reconsideration of the usefulness of DITI in CTS.

Key Words: Carpal tunnel syndrome; Thermography; Diagnosis