| Significance of Infrared Thermal Imaging in Herpes Zoster Patients. |
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Eun Kyoung Ahn, Jong Yeun Yang, Joung Goo Cho, Jinho Kim, Sungsik Chon, Eun Sook Yoo, Eun young Park |
1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, National Health Insurance Corporation Ilsan Hospital, Ilsan, Korea. kyoung@nhimc.or.kr
2Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. |
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| Abstract |
BACKGROUND
Herpetic disorders cause pain and skin lesion.
So, asymmetric temperature of both sides of the involving dermatome has been reported in thermogram. This study examined the usefulness of infrared thermography for a predictor of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).
METHODS
Patients with acute herpes zoster who underwent nerve block were randomly selected. Biographic data, including age, gender and times of onset of the skin lesions, development of PHN, combined diseases were recorded. Infrared thermography was performed and subjective pain severity, dysesthesia and allodynia, skin lesion size were assessed.
RESULTS
The temperature differences between the lesion site and the contralateral site at lateral and posterior were significantly correlated with lesion size (P < 0.01) and the temperature differences at anterior and lateral site were correlated with duration of disease (ant: P < 0.01, lat: P < 0.05). The temperature differences were not correlated with the pain severity, dysesthesia and allodynia (P > 0.05). PHN was correlated with skin lesion size and infrared thermal imaging (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
Infrared thermal imaging cannot demonstrate subjective pain objectively in herpes zoster. Short duration showed high temperature on the lesion sites compared to the contralateral sites. The patients with big skin lesions developed PHN more. The PHN can be predicted by the infrared thermal imaging as low temperature on the lesion site compared to the contralateral site. |
| Key Words:
infrared thermal imaging; herpes zoster; post-herpetic neuralgia |
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