To help promote Breast Cancer Awareness month this October, Inner Tapestry welcomes, Ingrid LeVasseur of Inner Image Clinical Thermography to share with us and our readers the background and uses of Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging. Along with all of the healthy life style changes we have integrated into our lives, this can be our next step towards healthy breast screening.

The heat we humans give off is constant and does not change over time. The only thing that will change the infrared energy we emit is injury or disease. Hippocrates understood this principle well. He spread mud over the body of an ill person and the site at which the mud first dried was suspect for underlying disease.

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) is a noninvasive, diagnostic tool that allows the examiner to visualize and quantify subtle changes in skin surface temperature. It relies on the principle that all objects at a temperature above absolute zero radiate infrared energy. The DITI camera captures and pictures this energy and converts it into an image that can be viewed on a computer. Each half a degree of temperature is represented by a different color, creating an image that looks like a colored topographical map.

An infrared scanning device is used to convert infrared radiation emitted from the skin surface into electrical impulses that are visualized in color on a monitor. This visual image graphically maps the body temperature and is referred to as a thermogram. The spectrum of colors indicates an increase or decrease in the amount of infrared radiation being emitted from the body surface. Since there is a high degree of thermal symmetry in the normal body, subtle abnormal temperature asymmetries can be easily identified.

Medical DITI’s major clinical value is in its high sensitivity to pathology in the vascular, muscular, nervous and skeletal systems and as such can contribute to the diagnosis made by the clinician. Medical DITI has been used extensively in human medicine in the USA, Europe and Asia for the past 20 years. The images produced by DITI are read by M.D.’s who are specially trained in reading and interpreting thermograms. A written report along with a copy of the images is sent to the patient and the patient’s health care provider within 24 to 48 hours.

Unlike most diagnostic modalities, DITI is non invasive. It uses no radiation, injections or compression to achieve its images. It is a sensitive and reliable means of graphically mapping and displaying skin surface temperature. DITI can be used to help diagnose, evaluate, monitor and document a large number of injuries and conditions such as: Back Injuries, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Vascular Disease and Digestive Disorders to name a few.

DITI and Breast Screening

According to the American Cancer Society, the leading cause of death of women ages 40-44 is breast cancer. Given that it takes approximately 15 years for breast cancer to develop and lead to death, safe and accurate screening, beginning in one’s mid 20’s should help reduce the death rate in that age group.

The benefit of DITI in breast screening is that it offers the opportunity of earlier detection of breast disease than has been possible through breast self-examination, doctor examination or mammography alone. DITI detects the subtle physiologic changes that accompany breast pathology, whether it is cancer, fibrocystic disease, an infection or a vascular disease.

The protocol for breast screening includes five images: one from the front, one from each side (arms raised to include armpits and lymph area), and one from each oblique angle. The procedure is quick and painless, comparable to being photographed. Initially, two screenings 3 months apart generally establish a thermal baseline. After that, an annual screening is sufficient.

All women can benefit from DITI breast screening: younger women can start screening safely in their 20’s and 30’s; older women who still have dense breast tissue will find this means effective; and women who have already had a mastectomy can safely and accurately continue to monitor that region.

The earliest possible indication of abnormality allows for the earliest possible intervention and treatment. DITI’s role in monitoring breast health is to help in early detection and monitoring of abnormal physiology.

Some women have serious concerns about the cumulative effects of radiation and want to limit their exposure. DITI will allow them to monitor their breast health without the risk of additional radiation exposure.

DITI and Inflammatory Breast Cancer

News of Inflammatory Breast Disease has made the rounds on the Internet and e-mails due to numerous reports done by KOMO TV in Seattle. Inflammatory breast disease is particularly difficult to diagnose by traditional means because it produces no tumors, rendering typical diagnostic methods less effective. By the time it is diagnosed, it has often progressed to a later stage. Given the inflammatory nature of the disease, DITI is an ideal means of screening for this silent killer.

Men and Breast Cancer

Though men with breast cancer still account for a small percentage of breast cancers detected, their numbers are increasing. DITI gives men a chance to screen for this disease and potentially catch it at an early stage.

Thermography vs. Mammograms

Thermography is not meant to replace mammograms. It is used in conjunction with mammograms and clinical breast exams to give the patient the opportunity to make decisions with as much information as possible.

One study published in the American Journal of Radiology in 2003 demonstrated that DITI had a 97% sensitivity in distinguishing benign from malignant growths. The conclusion stated: “Infrared imaging offers a safe noninvasive procedure that would be valuable as an adjunct to mammography in determining whether a lesion is benign or malignant.”

Ingrid LeVasseur, BA, is a certified clinical thermographer who received her training at Duke University. She has been a teacher of meditation for 23 years and spent four years teaching under the medical direction of Dr. Deepak Chopra. As the owner of Inner Image Clinical Thermography, she offers on-site and mobile thermal imaging. She can be reached at 207-846-9090.