A novel approach for a non-invasive diagnostic technique for thyroid glands using thermographic system

A computer based prototype device was designed based on an economical noninvasive system that could detect and display, the relative skin temperature variations present in human patients suffering from thyroid disorders. Such a system could be used to augment the normal procedures followed by the physician in diagnosing the thyroid to detect areas of hyperactivity within the gland. Because a hyperactive nodule is a center of increased blood flow and chemical activity, it might be also a center of heat production that is detectable by thermal sensing. A medical thermogram represents the surface temperatures of skin making thermography useful for the detection of inflammation or hyperactivity in the thyroid gland that lies just beneath the skin at the front of the neck. The paper presents the results of using the new device as compared to the traditional method with radio active material. The experiments were conducted on patients at the VA Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.