Infrared digital thermography of scrotum in early selection of progressive varicocele

Use of infrared thermal camera in acute scrotal pain: a prospective study

Background and objectives: Infrared thermal (IR) camera is used to assess various clinical conditions such as diabetic foot, carotid artery stenosis, and superficial infection. The present study was designed to determine the usefulness of IR thermal camera in scrotal temperature measurement before color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) in patients admitted to the emergency department with acute scrotal pain. Method: This study was prospectively conducted on 49 patients with acute scrotal pain and 30 control participants. The findings of CDUS and scrotal temperature measurements by an IR camera were separately evaluated by different physicians. In all patients, temperature measurements with IR camera were made under the same environmental conditions. Results: Of the 49 patients included in the study, four were diagnosed with torsion, 12 with epididymitis, 4 with orchitis, 3 with epididymo-orchitis, and 2 with varicocele. A significant difference was observed between the scrotal temperature of the patients with scrotal pain and the mean testicular temperature of the control group based on the IR camera measurement (p<0.05). IR camera did not detect any difference between the two testicles of the same person in the patient group (p=0.615). Although the lowest temperature was in testicular torsion, the patients’ scrotal temperature did not significantly differ according to their diagnoses (p=0.087). Conclusion: Testicular temperature measured by IR device was lower in patients presenting with scrotal pain compared to normal individuals. Although not statistically significant, the lowest temperature was found in cases of testicular torsion. IR camera may be useful in triage when used in conjunction with physical examination in patients presenting with acute scrotal pain. IMC J Med Sci 2022; 16(1): 007 *Correspondence: Erdal Yavuz, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Adiyaman University, Adiyaman, Turkey. Email: erdal_yavuz15@hotmail.com, Orcid: 0000-0002-3168-6469

Smartphone Thermal Imaging in the Detection of Testicular Ischemia

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate smartphone thermal imaging as a point of care test in the detection of testicular ischemia. Thermal imaging detects the infrared (heat) pattern of an object and the technology is now available as an inexpensive attachment to smartphones.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Smartphone thermal imaging was studied as a point-of-care diagnostic test for testicular ischemia in an IACUC approved study that prioritized survival of all animal subjects. Thirty canines weighing over 12 kg were observed during elective neuter procedures with consent from owners. Randomization determined ligation of the right vs left spermatic cord. With both testicles remaining in the scrotum, blinded inspection was performed with a FLIR ONE Pro thermal imaging camera for smartphone use. The bilateral orchiectomy procedures were then completed as planned.

RESULTS

Within 11 minutes of ligation of the randomized spermatic cord, an obvious change in the thermal imaging pattern allowed for the correct diagnosis of the ischemic testicle in 30/30 (100%) of subjects in a blinded fashion. Temperature differences between testicles at the time of ischemia diagnosis ranged from 0.7°C to 3.7°C with an average difference of 1.79°C lower in the ischemic testicle (95% CI: [1.50, 2.08]). A thermal imaging evaluation of the testicles takes 30 seconds to perform.

CONCLUSION

Smartphone thermal imaging correctly diagnosed testicular ischemia in 100% of animal subjects in a blinded fashion. The clinical utility of this emerging point-of-care technique in the evaluation of testicular torsion is currently unknown.

Imaging of the scrotum: beyond sonography

The aim of this article is to describe the role of second-level imaging techniques after an initial ultrasonography evaluation in the assessment of scrotal diseases. While ultrasonography remains central as the primary imaging modality for the evaluation of pathologic conditions of the scrotum, the role of magnetic resonance imaging continues to evolve: it can actually be valuable as a problem-solving tool when sonographic findings are equivocal or inconclusive. Magnetic resonance imaging of the scrotum may provide accurate detection and characterization of scrotal diseases, well depicting the precise location of scrotal masses (intratesticular or extratesticular) and reliably characterizing benign conditions simulating neoplastic processes, thus preventing unnecessary radical surgery. Advanced magnetic resonance techniques, most of all diffusion weighted imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, play in the meanwhile a more significant role in evaluating scrotal diseases.

TEACHING POINTS

• Multiparametric ultrasonography usually represents the initial imaging modality for approaching scrotal diseases. • MRI is well established as a problem-solving tool for inconclusive sonographic findings. • Advanced MRI techniques can be successfully applied in scrotal pathology assessment. • MRI is valuable in differentiating benign conditions from neoplastic processes. • CT plays a role in trauma assessment and cancer staging alongside PET/CT.

Theoretical modeling of time-dependent skin temperature and heat losses during whole-body cryotherapy: A pilot study

This article establishes the basics of a theoretical model for the constitutive law that describes the skin temperature and thermolysis heat losses undergone by a subject during a session of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC). This study focuses on the few minutes during which the human body is subjected to a thermal shock. The relationship between skin temperature and thermolysis heat losses during this period is still unknown and have not yet been studied in the context of the whole human body. The analytical approach here is based on the hypothesis that the skin thermal shock during a WBC session can be thermally modelled by the sum of both radiative and free convective heat transfer functions. The validation of this scientific approach and the derivation of temporal evolution thermal laws, both on skin temperature and dissipated thermal power during the thermal shock open many avenues of large scale studies with the aim of proposing individualized cryotherapy protocols as well as protocols intended for target populations. Furthermore, this study shows quantitatively the substantial imbalance between human metabolism and thermolysis during WBC, the explanation of which remains an open question.

Improvements in Scrotal Thermoregulation in Patients with Varicoceles Treated by Using Traditional Korean Medicine: Two Case Reports

A varicocele is a dilatation of the pampiniform venous plexus within the spermatic cord. The incidence of varicoceles is 15%, and it occurs in more than 40% of men in infertile couples. Traditional Korean medicine (TKM) has been used to treat male infertility in Korea. We present two cases of men with varicoceles diagnosed via physical examination and scrotal thermography. We treated these men for two months by using TKM techniques, which included acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine. We used scrotal thermography to evaluate the varicoceles before and after TKM treatment. After TKM treatment, the scrotal thermoregulation of both patients improved. In Patient 1, the temperature difference between the left and the right pampiniform plexus (i.e., ΔTP) was 2.8°C before treatment. It decreased to 1.3°C after treatment. In addition, the temperature difference between the testicles (ΔTT) was 1.5°C before treatment; it decreased to 0.2°C after treatment. In Patient 2, the ΔTP was 1.5°C before treatment; it decreased to 0.2°C after treatment. This report is the first to show that TKM may be an option for treating patients with varicoceles, as determined by using a scrotal thermography evaluation.