A review of the effectiveness of thermal infrared imaging in the diagnosis and monitoring of knee diseases

Abstract Background Thermal infrared imaging is used in many world-wide medical centers as an alternative or complementary diagnostic method for different disorders. The aim of this paper is to present the main clinical results reported in the literature concerning the effectiveness of thermal infrared imaging in the diagnosis and evaluation of knee diseases. Methods A search of four databases was conducted using specific keywords and phrases and explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria for the identification and analysis of the literature that presents date on the use of the thermal infrared imaging in the diagnosis and monitoring of knee diseases. Results Thermal infrared imaging proved to be a sensitive and reliable method for diagnosis, evaluation and monitoring of a number of knee conditions, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ligaments and tendons problems. The best results were reported for monitoring of the patients after knee arthroplasty; the values of sensitivity and specificity of this method were of 90% and 89% respectively. Good results were also reported in the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis with a sensitivity and specificity above 85%. Conclusions In conclusion, thermal infrared imaging proved to be effective in the diagnosis, evaluation and monitoring of some knee pathologies and could be used as a complementary method in association with classic medical imaging for the diagnosis, evaluation and monitoring of degenerative and inflammatory knee pathology, but further studies are needed to improve its performances.