Carotid Thermography

Introducing a Safe and Pain-Free Way to Monitor Health Conditions Safely and Effectively. We are excited to offer the most advanced thermography imaging available. Thermography measures the heat that radiates from your body and is completely safe. There is no radiation exposure; rather, it is similar to a camera taking a picture of your body. Thermography is a non-invasive clinical imaging procedure that can detect and monitor diseases and other conditions by showing the abnormal temperature variations present in the body.

Carotid thermography is a diagnostic technique that uses thermal imaging to detect temperature changes in the carotid arteries, which are the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. The technique involves the use of an infrared camera to measure the temperature of the skin overlying the carotid arteries.

The theory behind carotid thermography is that inflammation and other abnormalities in the carotid arteries can cause changes in the blood flow and temperature of the skin overlying the arteries. By measuring these temperature changes, it is possible to detect early signs of carotid artery disease, which is a condition in which the carotid arteries become narrowed or blocked due to a buildup of plaque.

Stroke is the most common neurologic disease and the third most common cause of death in the developed world.  The root cause of most strokes is atherosclerosis.  Atherosclerosis is a slow and progressive process that narrows the lumen of arteries with the build-up of plaque and scar and predicates the acute clotting crisis.  The carotid arteries supply approximately 85% of the blood to the brain and significant levels of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries present the highest single risk factor for stroke.  Clinical symptoms of carotid insufficiency can be vague and there is a need for an inexpensive and non-invasive objective means to screen the at-risk population.

Doppler ultrasound can evaluate the luminal thickness and restrictions in the common carotid arteries up to and including the important bifurcation but not the internal carotid artery as it goes deep into the head.  The superficial distribution of important branches of the internal carotid arteries in the face are easily evaluated with thermal imaging as a means to detect diminished blood flow in the common and internal carotid arteries and risk for stroke.  Thermal imaging can detect hemodynamically significant stenosis of the carotid arteries with a very high sensitivity as compared to arteriography.  Additionally, thermal imaging can also reveal indications of arterial compensation (natural bypasses) in the carotid artery networks that can be important to decisions in treatment.  Thermal imaging is completely harmless, non-invasive, relatively inexpensive and quantitative.