title: The evaluation of liquid crystal thermography in the investigation of nerve root compression due to lumbosacral lateral spinal stenosis.
abstract: The role of liquid crystal thermography (LCT) in the investigation of nerve root compression due to lumbosacral lateral spinal stenosis was evaluated using a quantitative analysis technique. In 28 healthy volunteers, normal lower limb dermatomal asymmetry was found to follow a Gaussian distribution, with a normal range of less than 1.0 degree for the lower limbs and less than 1.9 degrees for the feet. The results of LCT from a patient group were compared with those from other investigations, with the following results: clinical assessment (107 patients), 53% agreement; myelography (60 patients), 45% agreement; computerized tomography (35 patients), 46% agreement; electromyography (27 patients), 41% agreement; and surgical findings (19 patients), 53% agreement. Each method of investigation was compared against the surgeon's final overall assessment. Clinical assessment agreed in 76%, myelography in 71%, computerized tomography in 71%, and electromyography in 70%. However, agreement could be demonstrated in only 48% of cases using LCT; therefore, it would appear that LCT is by far the least reliable of these techniques in the diagnosis of nerve root compression.
mesh_terms: D001831:Body Temperature; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008297:Male; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000150:complications*; D013817:Thermography / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards