The use of portable radiometry to assess Raynaud's phenomenon: a practical alternative to thermal imaging

Cherkas, L. F., Howell, K., Carter, L., Black, C. M. and MacGregor, A. J. (2001) The use of portable radiometry to assess Raynaud's phenomenon: a practical alternative to thermal imaging. Rheumatology, 40 (12). pp. 1384-1387. ISSN 1462-0332

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Abstract

Objectives. To compare the performance of a portable radiometer with thermal imaging and to assess the potential for radiometry to provide a practical alternative for assessing vascular responsiveness in Raynaud's phenomenon (RP). Methods. Subjects comprised 18 patients with diagnosed RP and 19 non‐RP subjects. A thermal imager (Starsight) and a portable radiometer (Cyclops) measured digital temperature at baseline and the subsequent drop and rise in temperature following a cold challenge test. Results. The intra‐class correlations between the two instruments for all three measures exceeded 80%. The overall performance of each instrument was almost the same, the Starsight thermal imager correctly classifying 84% of subjects as RP or non‐RP and the Cyclops portable radiometer correctly classifying 86% of subjects. The sensitivity of the thermal imager was 83%, compared with 89% for the portable radiometer; the specificity of both instruments was 84%. The positive and negative predictive values of the thermal imager were 83 and 84% respectively, and those for the portable radiometer were 84 and 89%. Conclusions. The two instruments performed equally well and the differences between them in their absolute measurements did not influence their ability to detect RP. Portable radiometry provides a practical, cheap, accurate and reliable alternative to thermal imaging and has the potential to be used in range of clinical and epidemiological settings.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Norwich Epidemiology Centre Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Norwich Epidemiology Centre Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Nutrition and Preventive Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Musculoskeletal Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Public Health and Health Services Research (former - to 2023)
Depositing User:	EPrints Services
Date Deposited:	25 Nov 2010 11:09
Last Modified:	28 Mar 2025 04:49
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/12318
DOI:	10.1093/rheumatology/40.12.1384

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