J Korean Neurosurg Soc.
2004 Oct;36(4):297-301.
Validation of Thermography in the Diagnosis of Acute Cervical Sprain
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea. chosunns@hanmail.net
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, Chumdan Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
The diagnosis of acute cervical sprain was done based on rigidity in the cervical area on X-ray and the symptoms reported by the patient so that it was difficult to differentiate those patients who complain of cervical sprain for an secondary gain. Thus, the present study is done for differential diagnosis of those fake patients who want the diagnosis of cervical sprain for the purposes of financial gain using the thermography, which is effective for objectifying pain by detecting the change in body temperature in the area of pain. METHODS: This study was done in 327 patients who were admitted to the neurosurgery department at Chosun University Hospital between January 1, 2001 to January 31, 2002, mainly complaining of cervical pain from traffic accidents. According to the previous methods of diagnosis, the presence of rigidity in the cervical region was determined on X-ray and this result was compared with the result from thermal imaging. RESULTS: When the verbal numerical rating scale of patient's subjective pain was classified into severe, moderate and mild, cold spot and disruption of normal thermographic shape increased significantly on thermal imaging as the severity of pain increases. CONCLUSION: Thermal imaging is not only effective for differentiating the presence or absence of cervical pain but also for determining the pain severity, fake patients, and pain recovery.
