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Featured Articles
The Truth About Breast Thermography
Thermal Imaging Cameras in Airports
Thermal Cameras in Modern Medicine
Mammography vs Thermography
The Truth About Breast Thermography
Breast thermography is a clinical diagnostic procedure which uses highly specialized infra red cameras to measure the heat coming from the body, in this case, the breast. Thermography has been approved for this purpose for many years by the US FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) and in the past two years (2001-2002) many new doctors and technicians have entered the field. Read the Full Story
Thermal Imaging Cameras in Airports
After the outbreak of SARS flu outbreak a few years ago, several major airports in Asia discovered the benefits of utilizing infrared thermal imaging camera technology. The Thermal cameras are an effective way to implicate infrared surveillance and virus monitoring in order to control the spread by travelers of the new H1N1 virus- commonly known as the swine flu. Read the Full Story
Health Care Reform?
According to recent health care reform news, Congress is still miles away from agreeing on a comprehensive health care reform bill. Although Senators and members of the House of Representatives are proposing bills and debating many aspects of the final proposal, bipartisan politics and differing agendas are making agreement nearly impossible.
Read more...
Thermal Cameras in Modern Medicine
Cancer is said to be a dangerous disease; however it is not necessary that all cancer patients die, as with the timely detection and treatment it is possible to survive from cancer. Today medical science has turned to technology to help them detect cancer cells and prevent its spread which is made possible through infrared cameras. Read the Full Story
Mammography vs Thermography
According to the CDC, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women and is one of the top ten causes of death among women in the United States. These numbers are frightening and early and accurate detection is vital in order to catch the disease in its early stages and begin lifesaving treatment. There are different methods that are used to detect breast cancer but not all of these methods can give the early detection that is required in order to save lives.
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Mammograms are used as a screening tool to detect early breast cancer in women experiencing no symptoms and to detect and diagnose breast disease in women experiencing symptoms such as a lump, pain or nipple discharge. Mammography is a specific type of imaging that uses a low-dose x-ray system to examine breasts. Mammogram is used to aid in the early detection and diagnosis of breast diseases in women. Two recent advances in mammography include digital mammography and computer-aided detection.
Digital mammography, also called full-field digital mammography (FFDM), is a mammography system in which the x-ray film is replaced by solid-state detectors that convert x-rays into electrical signals. These detectors are similar to those found in digital cameras. The electrical signals are used to produce images of the breast that can be seen on a computer screen or printed on special film similar to conventional mammograms. From the patient's point of view, having a digital mammogram is essentially the same as having a conventional film screen mammogram. Computer-aided detection (CAD) systems use a digitized mammographic image that can be obtained from either a conventional film mammogram or a digitally acquired mammogram. The computer software then searches for abnormal areas of density, mass, or calcification that may indicate the presence of cancer. The CAD system highlights these areas on the images, alerting the radiologist to the need for further analysis.
 Before scheduling a mammogram, discuss any new findings or problems in your breasts with your doctor. Also, inform your doctor of any prior surgeries and family or personal history of breast cancer. Do not schedule your mammogram for the week before your period if your breasts are usually tender during this time. The best time for a mammogram is one week following your period. Always inform your doctor or x-ray technologist if there is any possibility that you are pregnant. Do not wear deodorant, talcum powder or lotion under your arms or on your breasts on the day of the exam. These can appear on the mammogram as calcium spots. Describe any breast symptoms or problems to the technologist performing the exam. If possible, obtain prior mammograms and make them available to the radiologist at the time of the current exam.
Thermal Breast Imaging is uniquely able to detect the very beginnings of angiogenesis. The pooling of blood and the tiny vessels are invisible to mammography. Not only does mammography have a 20% to 40% margin of error, it can very well aggravate or even cause cancer. Thermography is based on the principle of infrared sensors and converting it to temperature. It has a very high resolution imager, which is part of a complete workstation that has the ability to capture multiple frames of high-resolution data over a precisely timed sequence. As the cold air envelopes the person, stress is created on the sympathetic nervous system, which responds by decreasing the flow of blood to the surface. This normal response is to reduce blood circulation to conserve heat. But areas of angiogenesis in the breast are not under control of the sympathetic nervous system and are not affected. Further, the system can differentiate between malignant tumors and fibrocystic growths, because the latter contains no thermal signature.
All malignancies are definitely abnormal but not all abnormal images are necessarily malignant. However, all malignancies are either of the aggressive (fast growing) or non-aggressive (slow growing) type but which cannot be known at the onset. Hence, an abnormal thermal image is reason enough for intervention. Without having to know and just waiting whether there is a malignancy or not, a woman suspicious of breast cancer with an abnormal thermal breast imaging will feel much better after a non-toxic and non-invasive intervention and a repeat thermal imaging afterwards results in a normal finding.
By Girija Sivasailam
References:
http://www.breastthermography.org/http://www.healthy-communications.com/mammograms_cause_breast_cancer.htm
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