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... The database could in future be helpful in the diagnosis of various diseases such example breast cancer, vascular diseases, skin diseases, studies of inflammatory responses, Raynaud phenomenon, sleep research, and painrelated thermal dysfunctions. [1], [2], [3], [4] II. BASIC CONCEPTS FOR ATLAS OF THERMOGRAPHY ...
... The blinds in the room were drawn in order to eliminate the impact of solar radiation and the room was air-conditioned to keep the same temperature during each measurement. [1], [7] All volunteers had to be acclimated in this room for 20 minutes before measurement and naked during thermographic diagnosis. Volunteers prior to the examination should restrict food, liquids, cigarettes, and cosmetics, physical or psychological stress. ...
The presented study deals with temperature distribution of healthy human bodies which were measured by infrared thermography. We used Infrared Imager with detector type 320x240 Focal Plane Array, Vanadium Oxide (VOx), Uncooled Microbolometer. A database of 240 thermograms from different position or locality of human body was created. The following eight views of human body were captured: TBA (Total Body - Anterior view), TBD (Total Body - Dorsal view), ToA (Torso- Anterior view), ToD (Torso- Dorsal view), DH (Dorsal side of Hand), PH (Palmar side of Hand), F (Foot) and FT (Facial Title). The database can be helpful in the diagnostics of many neurovascular and musculoskeletal diseases or injuries.
... Infrared thermography, as a method for functional diagnostics, is gaining more and more traction in various fields of medicine, science and clinical practice. Medical thermography is an imaging technique that is fast, non-contact and radiation free that has proven useful for detecting and monitoring thermal abnormalities at the skin surface [1], that has been applied with some success at detecting many clinical conditios, for example: breast cancer [2], melanoma [3] and diabetic foot [4]. Standard thermograms, obtained using conventional infrared cameras, are two-dimensional in nature. ...
A total of 95 Asiatic Elephants in 17 European zoos were systematically examined using a high resolution thermographic camera and physiologic heat profiles of elephant’s feet without known foot diseases were established. To allow a more objective evaluation of thermographic findings, the feet and toes were divided schematically into defined areas for measurement purposes, based on anatomical features for which the temperature data was then plotted to produce heat curves for each area. Measurements of temperatures pertaining to similar areas of different elephants showed strong individual fluctuation. Temperature variation was as high as 8 °C in similar areas between elephants. Thus, evaluation of thermographic findings should never be based on absolute temperature readings alone. This strong variation is partly caused by environmental factors during the examination. With environmental temperatures between 17,5 °C and 23 °C, a one degree increase of this temperature will cause a 0,5 °C increase of the heat radiation of the feet. An increase of air humidity by 1 % will cause an increase of 0,03 °C of the measured thermographical heat radiation. The physiological heat profiles for coronary and hoof wall areas of the toes showed an arched, parable-like shape when plotted from the medial over the cranial to the lateral toes. The highest temperature readings were found on the cranial toes. The difference between coronary and hoof wall temperatures of similar toes were constant all over the foot. The physiological heat profiles of the toe areas above the coronary region did not show this arched shape but stayed below the coronary temperature readings except on the medial toe. On comparison with thermographic findings of inflammated toes, a strong increase of this area above the coronary band was found which exceeded the temperature of the coronary region. This characteristic can be used as an indicator for acute inflammations. A regular heat profile, which resembles closely the physiological heat profile created in this study and which shows constant temperature differences between the defined areas of the single toes, is a good indicator of healthy foot. It is recommended that thermographic examinations always are evaluated using conventional observation of the heat patterns in conjunction with the additional creation of a heat profile to minimize subjectivity by the clinician. For the first time three elephants were examined in this study using a new pedographic method to gain information on the pressure distribution below the elephant’s foot. As found in humans as well as in pedographically examined cows, the pressure distribution in elephant’s feet showed a characteristic profile. Pressure peaks showed up especially in the cranial area of the foot, possibly the border between sole and pad, as well as in the caudal region in the shape of two pressure pillars. Experiments with a method to simulate softer ground seemed to lower the pressure peaks slightly in favor of a broader distribution, but were very difficult to evaluate, especially considering the small sample size. This method is also suited to register the actual area size put under pressure by the elephant, which was shown to rise under increased pressure, e. g. three legged standing. Despite some encountered methodical and technical problems, pedography of elephants is going to be a very promising field for further scientific studies in order to acquire more information on the physiology of pressure distribution. Data on husbandry conditions of the 17 visited zoos and as well as data on frequency and type of foot diseases and other health parameters of all 95 examined elephants were also collected and evaluated. A strong need for improvement was observed in terms of enclosure sizes and the surface materials used in indoor enclosures. Also, daily routines to increase activity of the elephants in the outdoor enclosures were found to be carried out only in half of the visited zoos. On a positive note, elephants in the evaluated zoos were hardly ever chained and if so, only for examination purposes. According to the data of the husbandry evaluation the information on the current status of foot health showed the need for improvement: Only in 36 % of the examined elephants foot problems were so far not encountered. On the time of examination 27 % of the animals were found to be under ongoing treatment for foot diseases. Mostly these were abscesses or other inflammation processes in the area of the nail’s laminar tissue. Out of the study sample, 30 % of the elephants were estimated to be overweight and 36 % showed stereotypic movement patterns.
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