The application of infrared imaging technology in clinical medicine began in the late 1950s in breast tumor diagnosis. Medical infrared imaging technology is the product of the combination of medical technology, infrared camera technology and computer multimedia technology. It is an imaging device that records the thermal field of the human body. This technology has opened up a new medical imaging system that mainly focuses on inspection functions, but is different from radionuclide tracer inspection. It is a brand-new branch of modern medical imaging.

Medical infrared imaging technology uses the infrared scanning acquisition system to receive the infrared energy radiated by the human body, and forms an infrared thermal image through intelligent computer analysis and image processing. The nature and location of the disease to achieve the purpose of diagnosing the disease. This technology realizes the conversion and expression of multiple information of human body function and structure, and opens up a new way for people to explore the inner connection between human body function information and structure information.

 

The metabolic activity of human cells continuously converts chemical energy into thermal energy. Through tissue conduction and blood convection heat exchange, heat energy is transferred from the body to the body surface, and heat exchange with the environment through heat conduction, convection, radiation, evaporation, etc. When the temperature change of the body surface reaches the resolution of the thermal imager, medical infrared imaging technology can detect and record the change, showing the parts of abnormally high or low temperature. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray tomography (CT), etc. can only show such abnormal structural changes when the lesions develop to a certain volume and density. From the general process of disease occurrence and development, changes in tissue properties or organ functions often precede changes in its structure and morphology. Therefore, medical infrared imaging technology can realize the early diagnosis of human diseases, and has an irreplaceable complementary role compared with medical imaging technology that mainly examines tissue morphology. Due to the development of infrared technology and modern high technology and the strengthening of computer secondary processing software, infrared imaging technology has developed rapidly and profoundly in the medical field, and its new medical application fields have also emerged.

 

Medical infrared imaging technology passively receives infrared radiation information from the human body through an infrared imager, so any disease that can cause thermal changes in human tissue can be used for inspection, such as precancerous predictions, differential diagnosis and census of tumors, heart disease. Comprehensive examination and evaluation of cerebrovascular disease, surgery, dermatology, gynecology, ENT, human health status, and observation and analysis of the process and results of treatment and drug efficacy of various diseases. In addition, the application of medical infrared imaging technology in traditional Chinese medicine dialectics, acupuncture principles, temperature characteristics of meridians and acupoints, and qigong testing has also attracted attention at home and abroad, and some research results have been obtained.