Thermography Breast Screening

Thermography is a medical diagnostic technique that measures body physiology by recording heat emission, which has developed a state-of-the-art science with specific thermal variables indicating a broad range of health assessment indicators. It is excellent for assessing musculoskeletal disorders, vascular diseases, and abnormalities of the female breast, which are 3 of the 6 applications, that it was FDA approved for in 1982.

Thermography is different than other invasive techniques, such as mammography, an x-ray that penetrate the body with harmful radiation and compresses the "fleshy part" of the breast with 60+ pounds of pressure. Whereas, thermography is non-invasive, radiation-free, and scans the rest of the breast tissue found in the upper regions of the chest and axillary areas (underarm lymph nodes). 

Along with mammograms, other diagnostic tools, such as ultrasounds, sonograms, MRIs, etc.  detect anatomical "mass" issues. Thermography investigates physiological responses and patterns. Since we are seeing alterations in the microcirculation of the tissue, as a result of nitric oxide blocking, normal vasoconstriction from the cold water challenge or enhanced perfusion of new or existing blood vessels. Detection of cancer, through the use of the breast stress study system, is considered 92-97% accurate, showing thermography to be the most accurate screening test for breast cancer detection currently available.

The nitric oxide that is present in the breast, as a result of malignant mass development through the process of angiogenisis, does not allow the blood vessels to constrict near the tumor. Only the normal vessels constrict and the abnormal vessels tend to remain dilated when challenged with the cold-water hand soak. A second series of images is taken following the cold water challenge to determine the physiological response. Temperature, thermal, and vasular changes, as well as symmetry of breast tissue, are measured from first to second studies provide the most critical factors for evaluation of the breasts.