title: [Diagnostic significance of topical image of infrared thermograph on the patient with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation--a comparative study on 45 patients and 65 normal control].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse and explore the diagnostic significance of infrared thermography on the patients with lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five hospitalized cases under conservative treatment (mainly manipulation) and 65 controls were sequentially selected. Both groups were examined with infrared thermograph on lower back and lower extremities as well as physical examination before and after treatment. The study statistically analysed the temperature difference between the involved and healthy parts at different areas; and also compared the change of the temperature difference after the treatment to the decreasing scores of physical examination afterward.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The statistic result showed that the temperature difference between two sides on patients group was significantly higher than those of control group. The further analysis shows that the temperature difference at posterior femur area in the patient's group correlated significantly to the severity of clinical signs caused by nerve root irritation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The thermograph could only be considered as a reference in the diagnosis of lumbar disc protrusion. It is helpful to discover the severity of radical signs according to the posterior femoral region of hypo- (or hyper) thermogram.
authors.affiliation: PLA Center of TCM Orthopedics, Air Force General Hospital, Beijing 100036.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage; D008875:Middle Aged; D013817:Thermography