Infrared thermal imaging and Doppler vessel pressurization ultrasonography to detect lower extremity deep vein thrombosis: Diagnostic accuracy study

Abstract

Background and objective: Infrared thermal imaging (IRTI) is a new technique for detecting deep vein thrombosis (DVT) based on DVT's infrared presentation and distribution characteristics (PDCs). A method that is singularly sensitive to DVT is needed. They, therefore, enrolled 157 subjects with suspected lower extremity DVT in a double-blind, controlled clinical trial using IRTI, and Doppler compression ultrasonography (CPUS) to verify the clinical value of IRTI.

Methods: An IRTI system could precisely measure and store real-time thermal images. A double-blind, controlled clinical study using IRTI and detection on 157 patients with suspected DVTs, evaluating the following parameters: sensitivity, specificity, positive prescreening, negative prescreening, false positivity, false negativity, and diagnostic accordance of IRTI with CPUS for detecting DVT were conducted.

Results: Of 140 subjects who underwent screening both IRTI and CPUS detect were included for analyses. According to their IRTI DVT's presentation and distribution characteristics, patients were divided into IRTI- negative (n = 59) and IRTI-positive (including suspicious IRTI positive) (n = 81) groups. CPUS identified 80 DVT-negative and 60 DVT-positive patients. The sensitivity of IRTI for detecting DVT was 88.33%, specificity 65.00%, false-positive diagnosis 11.67%, false-negative diagnosis 35.00%, positive prescreening 65.43%, negative prescreening 88.14%, diagnostic accordance rate 75.00%. IRTI results accorded with CPUS results (P = .001) except for the positivity incidence (χ² = 39.997, P < .001).

Conclusions: IRTI could be used to supplement CPUS detection for detecting DVTs and adjunctive diagnostic screening.

Keywords: compression ultrasonography (CPUS); deep vein thrombosis (DVT); diagnostic accuracy study; infrared thermal imaging (IRTI); lower limb.