Microwave Thermography in Rheumatic Disease

Abstract

Microwave thermography is a technique measuring emitted microwave radiation from sites of inflammation. The wavelength used is of the order of 10 cm and is therefore able to penetrate to clinically useful depths. A microwave detector was applied to the study of the knees of normal individuals and patients with rheumatoid disease in conjunction with clinical assessments. There was a significant correlation with the clinical variables. The technique was found to be valid independent of environmental conditions and to have acceptable reproducibility in normal individuals over three months. Microwave thermography is currently being applied to studying the sacroiliac joints as a possible diagnostic aid in ankylosing spondylitis. Future work on the use of microwave thermography will include an assessment of the ability of the technique to measure the response of the patient with rheumatoid arthritis to therapy.