Thermography for Early Detection of Injury, Infection and Disease
Commonplace amongst all species is Injury, infection and disease, at what stage we identify these changes will dictate the outcome. This is where Thermography becomes especially useful. Early detection of an injury, disease or infection will allow early intervention. Once treatment takes place monitoring of an organism can be undertaken with thermography. The effectiveness of thermography lies in its ability to locate, visualise and measure the thermal patterns and temperature of healthy and damaged body tissue. The functional changes associated with or resulting from disease or injury can be acute or chronic. Acute Inflammation is the body's immediate defensive response to injury and reaction of tissue. Acute inflammation involves pain, heat, redness, swelling and loss of function at the injured or diseased site.
Thermographic cameras can visualise the immediate response of inflammation through its ability to pick up radiation from the body tissue when acute inflammation is presented, this is because blood vessels near the site of injury are dilated so that blood flow is locally released and heat results from increased blood flow through the area and is experienced in peripheral parts of the body such as the skin. Lack of function due to damaged nerve or blood supply can also be identified with thermography, this would show up as cold rather than heat.
Our aim is to educate and share our vast experience of using Thermography in the field of Thermal Biology and Pathophysiology for the biosciences. Our students range from Veterinarians to Medical Professionals, Conservationists and Ecologists and all associated professionals, academics and students of the Biosciences.