Korean J Anesthesiol.  2003 May;44(5):659-666. 10.4097/kjae.2003.44.5.659.

Correlation between Pain Scale and Infrared Thermography in Unilateral Pain Patients after Nerve Block

• Ahn EK
• Lee YC
• Woo NS
• Kang PS
• Kim SH
• Park EY

• KMID: 1759985
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2003.44.5.659

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Being a subjective symptom, an objective evaluation of pain and severity is important in the diagnosis and detection of treatment outcome. This study examined the usefulness of infrared thermography for the objective evaluation of pain, irrespective of the original disease.
METHODS
Patients with unilateral pain who underwent nerve block were randomly selected. Infrared thermography was performed and subjective pain site and severity were assessed before and after nerve block.
RESULTS
The temperature difference between the pain site and the contralateral site was significantly correlated with subjective pain severity before and after block (P < 0.01). Improvements in VAS were correlated with temperature difference decrement between both sides after nerve block (P <0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Infrared thermal imaging can demonstrate subjective pain objectively. Thermal differences between the pain sites and the contralateral sites are an indicator of pain scale in a patient with ipsilateral pain. Moreover the thermal difference may be a useful means of determining outcome.

Keyword

Epidural block; infrared thermal imaging; intercostal nerve block; peripheral nerve block; stellate ganglion block

MeSH Terms

Diagnosis
Humans
Nerve Block*
Thermography*
Treatment Outcome