Assessment of physiologic and pathologic radiative heat dissipation using dynamic infrared imaging.
This paper reviews the mechanism and assessment of regulated radiative heat dissipation, involving the circulatory system and the skin. It describes the quantitative assessment of skin temperature modulation. The main regulating process, which can be quantitatively monitored by fast and sensitive dynamic infrared imaging, involves autonomic nervous control of cutaneous and subcutaneous perfusion. This control is significantly affected by a variety of local or systemic pathologic conditions, including cancer and certain neuropathies. A potential clinical application that objectively assesses local attenuation of temperature modulation in the presence of breast cancer is described in some detail. Systemic aberrations in skin temperature modulation can be clinically useful also in neurology. It can be used also in psychology and psychiatry to evaluate transient effects of mental stress on the autonomic nervous system.
Anbar
Michael
M
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo (SUNY), New York 14214, USA. amara@adelphia.net
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008954:Models, Biological; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics
D009569:Nitric Oxide