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Most patients use thermography for breast imaging but it can also be used to help in determining the cause of pain. It can be used in the early detection of temperature change, to evaluate sensory-nerve irritation or significant soft-tissue injury, to help define a previously diagnosed injury or condition, or to identify an abnormal area for further diagnostic testing. Thermography is an adjunctive tool and provides a different set of results to other tests, allowing a healthcare provider to have a wider set of information to aid diagnosis and treatment. There are conditions or diseases for which a different test would be more appropriate, but your nearest thermography clinic should be able to advise accordingly.
Mammograms, Thermograms, MRIs, X-Rays or any other imaging scan cannot diagnose cancer. The most common way to make a cancer diagnosis is by taking a biopsy and having a lab analysis. A thermogram is able to detect areas of dysfunction in the body by imaging hot and cold areas. The reason this is so important, is that a change in temperature is one of the first signs of disease. This is the reason that areas of dysfunction can show up so much earlier with a thermographic scan.
Thermal images are taken of the whole body, or individual regions including breast, head, arms, legs, back etc. A lumbar assessment would typically include low back, pelvis, and legs. A cervical assessment would typically include, head and neck, upper trunk, and arms. Any part of the body can be scanned if required.
Yes. DITI was FDA registered in 1982.
No. There is no contact with the body at all.
A thermography scan appointment will typically take 20 minutes for the breast area and 40 minutes for full body thermography.
If you have a friend or partner who would like to accompany you to the appointment, they are welcome to be present. You will be in a climate controlled room kept between 68 and 72 degrees and temperatures vary with the seasons, so depending upon the conditions they may be able to watch the exam, but that is a judgment call by the technician. A friend or partner will be allowed to be present while we review the images with you, if you so choose.
Your report will be mailed to you usually within 5 to 7 working days of the day of your scan.
All images are interpreted by MDs specifically trained in thermographic interpretation and certified by a thermography medical board based in the United States. The interpreting M.D. will write the report and return it to the thermographer within a few days
At the present time, most insurance companies do not cover the procedure. You will be given a receipt for your visit, which can be used as a medical expense for your taxes if applicable.
Yes, infrared is completely non-invasive, does not use radiation, does not compress the breast and is 100% safe. Full Body Thermography should not be performed during pregnancy or while lactating.
Yes. The accuracy of thermography is not affected in patients with implants. Since there is no compression there is zero risk of causing damage to the implants.
No, thermography and mammography are tests based on two completely different principles, although they do complement each other. Thermogrpahy can pick up signs of inflammation missed by mammography and mammograms do not image temperature patterns. Mammograms can only show dysfunction after there has been a change in density of the tissue, such as is the case with micro-calcifications, or where a tumor has formed.
Canadian researchers recently confirmed that infrared imaging of breast cancers could detect minute temperature variations related to blood flow and demonstrate abnormal patterns associated with the progression of tumors. These images, or thermograms of the breast, were positive for 83% of breast cancers compared to 61% for clinical breast examination alone and 84% for mammography. The 84% sensitivity rate of mammography alone was increased to 95% when infrared imaging was added.
No. While some women make a personal choice to use thermal imaging instead of mammography for breast screening, other women who cannot use mammography for a number of reasons can use thermography instead of mammography. Most women use thermal imaging in addition to mammography and/or ultrasound. We believe that (DITI) should be viewed as a complementary, not competitive, tool to mammography and ultrasound. DITI has the ability to identify patients at the highest level of risk and actually increase the effective usage of mammograms and ultrasounds. Research confirms that DITI, when used with mammography, can improve the sensitivity of breast cancer detection. The ultimate choice should be made on an individual basis with regard to clinical history, personal circumstances and medical advice.
No. DITI detects and records the infrared heat radiating from the surface of the body. There is no contact with the body or harmful radiation.
No. There is no contact with the body or painful breast compression.
Thermographers should hold certification from a professional body with approved code of ethics and practice protocols that include quality control guidelines.
Yes, infrared is completely non-invasive, does not use radiation, does not compress the breast and is 100% safe. Full Body Thermography should not be performed during pregnancy or while lactating.
Yes. The accuracy of thermography is not affected in patients with implants. Since there is no compression there is zero risk of causing damage to the implants.
No, thermography and mammography are tests based on two completely different principles, although they do complement each other. Thermogrpahy can pick up signs of inflammation missed by mammography and mammograms do not image temperature patterns. Mammograms can only show dysfunction after there has been a change in density of the tissue, such as is the case with micro-calcifications, or where a tumor has formed.
Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) offers the opportunity of earlier detection of breast disease than has been possible with breast self-examination, physician palpation or mammography alone. Each individual has her own thermal pattern (normally symmetric) that is accurate and static throughout her lifetime. Any changes to her normal “thermal fingerprint” caused by early cell changes (pathology) will become increasingly apparent. Monitoring changes over periods of time with DITI is the most efficient means of identifying subjects who require further investigation. DITI is a non-invasive test. There is no contact with the body of any kind, no radiation and the procedure is painless. The scanning system merely detects and records the infrared radiation that is emitting from the patient’s body. Utilizing sophisticated infrared technology and innovative computer software, thermal imaging technicians simply capture a digitized image of the breast in the form of an infrared thermogram, or heat picture.
Canadian researchers recently confirmed that infrared imaging of breast cancers could detect minute temperature variations related to blood flow and demonstrate abnormal patterns associated with the progression of tumors. These images, or thermograms of the breast, were positive for 83% of breast cancers compared to 61% for clinical breast examination alone and 84% for mammography. The 84% sensitivity rate of mammography alone was increased to 95% when infrared imaging was added.
Yes. Unlike mammography and ultrasound, Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) is a test of physiology. It detects and records the infrared heat radiating from the surface of the body. It can help in early detection and monitoring of abnormal physiology and the establishment of risk factors for the development or existence of cancer. Mammography and ultrasound are tests of anatomy. They look at structure. When a tumor has grown to a size that is large enough and dense enough to block an x-ray beam (mammography) or sound wave (ultrasound), it produces an image that can be detected by a trained radiologist. Neither mammogram, ultrasound, nor DITI can diagnose cancer. Only a biopsy can diagnose cancer. But, when DITI, mammograms, ultrasounds, and clinical exams are used together, the best possible evaluation of breast health can be made.
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