TY - JOUR
T1 - Thermography in Stroke—A Systematic Review
AU - Podlasek, Anna
AU - Petrov, Ivo
AU - Stankov, Zoran
AU - Snyder, Kenneth
AU - Alvarez, Carlos Alejandro
AU - Musialek, Piotr
AU - Grunwald, Iris Q.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 by the authors.
PY - 2025/5/6
Y1 - 2025/5/6
N2 - Background and Objectives: Thermography is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that measures skin surface temperatures to reflect normal or abnormal physiology. This review explores the clinical utility of thermography in diagnosing and monitoring stroke, with an emphasis on its clinical applications. Materials and Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, with a protocol published prior to analysis. Three databases were screened up to end of 2024. Article selection was conducted in two stages: title and abstract screening using Rayyan®, followed by full-text eligibility assessment. Discrepancies were resolved through consensus. Risk of bias assessment was performed with ROBINS-I. Narrative synthesis was planned in addition to descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 20 studies were included after screening 277 records. Thermography emerged as a promising tool for stroke patients in both the acute and chronic phases. In the acute phase, it demonstrated potential in detecting early signs of carotid occlusive disease by identifying temperature differences in the forehead or neck regions. Additionally, thermography contributed to the differential diagnosis of Wallenberg syndrome. In the chronic phase, it exhibited clinical utility in monitoring rehabilitation progress. Conclusions: Thermography shows promise as a non-invasive tool for stroke assessment and monitoring. While preliminary studies suggest physiological relevance, its clinical utility remains investigational and requires further validation.
AB - Background and Objectives: Thermography is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that measures skin surface temperatures to reflect normal or abnormal physiology. This review explores the clinical utility of thermography in diagnosing and monitoring stroke, with an emphasis on its clinical applications. Materials and Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, with a protocol published prior to analysis. Three databases were screened up to end of 2024. Article selection was conducted in two stages: title and abstract screening using Rayyan®, followed by full-text eligibility assessment. Discrepancies were resolved through consensus. Risk of bias assessment was performed with ROBINS-I. Narrative synthesis was planned in addition to descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 20 studies were included after screening 277 records. Thermography emerged as a promising tool for stroke patients in both the acute and chronic phases. In the acute phase, it demonstrated potential in detecting early signs of carotid occlusive disease by identifying temperature differences in the forehead or neck regions. Additionally, thermography contributed to the differential diagnosis of Wallenberg syndrome. In the chronic phase, it exhibited clinical utility in monitoring rehabilitation progress. Conclusions: Thermography shows promise as a non-invasive tool for stroke assessment and monitoring. While preliminary studies suggest physiological relevance, its clinical utility remains investigational and requires further validation.
KW - stroke
KW - systematic review
KW - thermography
KW - triage
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105006651309
U2 - 10.3390/medicina61050854
DO - 10.3390/medicina61050854
M3 - Review article
C2 - 40428812
AN - SCOPUS:105006651309
SN - 1010-660X
VL - 61
JO - Medicina (Lithuania)
JF - Medicina (Lithuania)
IS - 5
M1 - 854
ER -