Use of infrared thermal camera in acute scrotal pain: a prospective study (original) (raw)
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Scrotal infrared digital thermography in assessment of varicocele — Pilot study
2011
Introduction: Varicocele is dilatation of pampiniform venous plexus. It is associated with male infertility, as it is found in more than 40% of male partners in infertile couples. The main pathophysiological mechanism for impaired spermatogenesis is considered to be elevated scrotal temperature. Mainstay for diagnostic assessment of varicocele is physical examination and scrotal ultrasound/doppler. Thermography is a diagnostic method which
2023
OBJECTIVE To develop a near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy device to diagnose testicular torsion with high sensitivity and specificity. Specifically, we aim to investigate the differentiation between testicular torsion from other pathologies such as orchidoepididymitis, varicocele, and hydrocele. METHODS Two LEDs with wavelengths of 660 nm and 940 nm were used as light sources in the device. Each wavelength was sent to the testicle successively, and a photodiode detected back-reflected diffuse light. The ratio of the light intensities of 660 nm and 940 nm was used as a diagnostic parameter. A multi-center clinical trial was performed in 5 different hospitals. RESULTS In total, 62 patients in urology clinics with acute testicular pain have been recruited for the study. The developed NIR spectroscopy correctly defined all 8 testicular torsion cases. Besides, 3 orchidoepididymitis, 1 varicocele, and 3 hydrocele cases were correctly distinguished from testicular torsion. Only 1 hydrocele case was misdiagnosed as torsion. The range of the ratio was between 0.14 and 1.16 overall measurements. The ratio varied between 0.14 and 0.3 for the testicle with torsion. The ratio was between 0.49 and 1.16 for the normal testicle and testicle with other pathologies mentioned above. CONCLUSION We have chosen the threshold ratio of 0.4 to differentiate between the normal and torsion testis and diagnosed all the torsion cases among all normal and other pathologies. The developed optical device to diagnose testicular torsion is inexpensive, user-friendly, and works based on objective criteria with high sensitivity and specificity in real time.
Infrared digital thermography of scrotum in early selection of progressive varicocele
Medical Hypotheses, 2013
Varicocele is frequent but correctable cause of male infertility. Varicocelectomy is the most commonly performed operative procedure for varicocele. Majority of varicocele patients do not have fertility problem, therefore surgical correction is not recommended in all prevalent cases. On the other hand, varicocele is a progressive condition in some cases and individual with varicocele is at risk for developing impairment which can ultimately lead to semen deterioration and consequent infertility.
Diagnosis of testicular torsion using near infrared spectroscopy: A novel diagnostic approach
Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada, 2014
We report a case of testicular torsion in a 14-month old boy. Testicular ischemia was suspected based on history and clinical presentations. The patient was referred following 24 hours of left acute scrotum. Erythema, swelling and tenderness associated with nausea and emesis were present, but the patient was not febrile. We used a spatially resolved near-infrared spectroscopy (SR-NIRS) device to study and compare the tissue saturation index (TSI) on both right and left spermatic cords. The TSI was significantly reduced in the left side. Both testicles were surgically explored and the left testis was found non-viable with a 1080-degree intra-vaginal torsion. NIRS monitoring of spermatic cord oxygen saturation appears feasible as a non-invasive bedside optical method to identify testicular torsion.
Background and Objective: Varicocele is the abnormal dilatation and tortuosity of pampiniform plexus above the testicles. The distribution pattern of abnormal heat in the scrotum can be detected by thermal imaging. The thermal imaging is a remote, noncontact and noninvasive method. The purpose of the study was to investigate the correlation between varicocele and the temperature of testicular using thermal imaging in the soldiers referred to AJA 501 hospital in 2016. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study that was conducted on 56 soldiers in the AJA 501 hospital in 2016. In this study, capabilities of thermal imaging in detecting and grading varicocele were evaluated. In order to do thermography, the non-contact infrared camera of VIS-IR 640 was used. Results were reported through descriptive statistics. Results: In both cases, by using temperature distribution and thermography camera, it was found that there was a possibility to identify varicocele. There was thermal asymmetry and increase in the temperature of the pampiniform plexus while there was no increase in the temperature of the testicle. We also observed the asymmetry and increase in the temperature while the increase of temperature in the scrotum was noticeable. The results showed that detection capability of thermography in grade 3 varicocele was higher than other grades. Conclusion: According to the results obtained from research, thermography is highly applicative in diagnosing varicocele due to safety, lack of exposure to the patient, and cheap and convenient diagnosis of varicocele. It is recommended that thermography method be used as a complementary method along ultrasound techniques. Key words: Thermal imaging, Varicocele, Ultrasonography, Tehran
Does color Doppler sonography improve the clinical assessment of patients with acute scrotum?
European Journal of Radiology, 2006
Introduction and objectives: Our experience concerning the use of color Doppler sonography (CDS) in the differential diagnosis of acute scrotum is reported. Material and methods: From July 2000 to July 2005, 155 patients (median 17.2 years) were admitted with a diagnosis of acute scrotum (unilateral in 150 cases, bilateral in 5). Along with a careful anamnesis and the physical exam, all patients underwent a CDS study of the scrotal content using a sonograph GE Logiq 500 with a multifrequency (7.5-10 MHz) linear probe Small Part. The following CDS parameters were evaluated: intensity of the color-power signal on the testicular parenchyma and on the epididymis; systolic peak velocity (SPV) and telediastolic velocity (TDV) in correspondence of the gonadal hilum. Ultrasound and flowmetry parameters registered on the painful testis were compared with those registered on the healthy controlateral testis. The reduction/absence versus the increase of color-power signal in the parenchyma and the reduction/absence versus the increase of SPV and TDV in the centripetal intratesticular arteries were considered presumptive of testicular torsion versus orchiepididymitis. Results: The results only refer to the 150 patients (300 testis) with acute monolateral scrotum. The clinical picture and the physical exam suggested a torsion of the spermatic cord in 40 cases, a spontaneous de-torsion in 5, an orchiepididymitis in 80, a blunt scrotal trauma in 15, a bulky epididymal cyst or a hydrocele in 4 and a testicular pain of unknown etiology in the remaining 6 cases. Standard US was pathological in 95 patients (63.3%); CDS was pathologic in 70 patients and in 42 of them suggested a testicular torsion. Fifty-three patients underwent surgical exploration: among 42 patients with a presumptive diagnosis of testicular torsion, the diagnosis was confirmed in 22 cases, no anomaly was found in 16 cases and in 4 patients a torsion of testicular appendix was found. The rupture of the tunica albuginea was present in six out of seven patients submitted to surgical exploration for previous blunt trauma and the sonographic diagnosis of hematocele was documented in all cases. The single false-negative diagnosis of testicular torsion in CDS occurred in an 18-month-old child. In presence of funicular torsion, the sensitivity and specificity of physical exam and CDS were 100% versus 95.7% and 86.5% versus 85.3%, respectively; sensitivity and specificity of SPV, TDV and color-Doppler signal on the testis were 100% and 94.8% versus 100% and 90.1% versus 95.7% and 90.8%. In the pre-operative assessment of scrotal trauma, the B-mode US showed a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 90%, respectively; the color Doppler analysis has not supplied with additional elements for planning a surgical exploration. In presence of orchiepididymitis, the sensitivity and specificity of the physical exam in association to CDS was equal to 100%. In all patients with torsion of the testicular appendix, physical exam and CDS parameters were within normal limits. Discussion and conclusions: In our experience CDS is an indispensable imaging modality for the clinical assessment of patients with acute scrotum; however, the informations it can afford are operator-dependent and have to be supported by the history and physical exam of the patient. CDS findings constitute probably an important medico-legal support when the necessity of surgical exploration is excluded; anyway, in presence of a clinical suspicion of testicular torsion, even with an apparently normal CDS, the surgical exploration is recommended.
Providing a model for the diagnosis of varicocele in the scrotum thermal images
Varicocele disorder is defined as a form of abnormal dilation and tortuosity of venous plexus (venous) noticeable above the testicles. The main patterns of the level of abnormal heat distribution in the scrotum can be detected by the help of thermal imaging. It should be noted that Thermal Imaging is widely considered as a distant, non-contact, and non-invasive bunch of procedures for the detection of a wide array of diseases. Adopting a non-contact infrared camera (SDS Hotfind L) and by taking images of 50 patients with varicocele, the potentialities of thermography were probed and assessed. In two cases, by means of heat distribution, varicocele was identified through a thermal camera; one included thermal asymmetry and increased temperature in venous plexus (pampiniform) and no thermal increase in the testicle of the same side (It is grade II of varicocele with a temperature difference around 1°C), and the other increased temperature of venous plexus (pampiniform) as well as the increased temperature of the testicle of the same side (It is grade III of varicocele with a temperature difference around 1.5°C). In the same line, the accuracy of detection of thermography is 76% in grades of varicocele. Moreover, the accuracy of recognition of thermography through the convolution neural network is 71%. Based on the results of this research, thermography can be an applicative method for initial screening and can be adopted as a supplementary technique to other diagnostic techniques due to lack of exposure, being of low cost, and providing a relatively appropriate diagnosis in varicocele.