Accuracy of infrared thermography in detecting tendinopathy: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the literature on diagnosis of tendinopathy using infrared thermography (IT).

METHODS

This is a systematic review that followed the recommendations of PRISMA. The databases Medline, PEDro, SciELO, Embase, CENTRAL, and CINAHL were searched from inception up to December 2021. Two reviewers independently selected studies that investigated the use of IT to identify tendinopathy. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed with QUADAS-2 tool. Data synthesis was performed through the analysis of sensitivity, specificity, summary ROC curve (SROC), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR).

RESULTS

Seven studies were included in the meta-analyses, which showed that the IT has an overall sensitivity of 72%, specificity of 95%, DOR of 75.94, and SROC of 97%. Sensitivity analysis indicated that IT showed sensitivity of 93% and 63%, specificity of 97% and 100%, and DOR of 221.38 and 60.71 for lateral epicondylitis and shoulder tendinopathy, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The IT showed adequate accuracy to detect tendon injuries, with high specificity in the evaluation of lateral epicondylitis and shoulder tendinopathy.