New thermographic imaging techniques: panoramic and multiaspect thermography

The most important process for pattern analysis in medical thermography is the accurate comparison of temperature distribution over various parts of the subject's body surface, particularly the comparison of an abnormal region with its symmetrical normal region. Conventional infrared thermography, however, displays the temperature distribution over a curved body surface as a plane image viewed along the optical axis of the thermocamera, accordingly plane-scanning thermography has several crucial problems in its medical application. The authors' cooperative effort has led to the development of the following new thermographic imaging techniques, capable of simultaneous display of thermograms over various aspects of the target body in a CRT frame. (1) Triple-aspect thermography allows simultaneous display of the thermograms on three aspects of the subject by reflecting the infrared emission from the bilateral surface of the subject into the thermocamera. (2) Panoramic thermography allows the capture of a continuously developed thermogram even over the whole body surface with the thermocamera repeatedly scanning along the rotary axis of the rotating subject. (3) Multi-aspect thermography allows simultaneous display of multiple thermograms on various selected aspects of the subject by taking the real-time thermograms of the rotating subject at every selected angle of rotation as circumstances require, employing a high response thermocamera and a multi-image processor. These new enhanced thermography techniques provide various unique characteristics, compensate for the weak points of conventional plane-scanning thermography, and enable accurate analysis and error-free diagnosis for the clinician working in the field of medical thermography.