Thermography--its current diagnostic status in musculoskeletal medicine.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the currently perceived status of thermography in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders.

DATA SOURCES: Medical and legal journals published from 1956 onwards; report of the United States Office of Health Technology Assessment and personal communication with the author of that report.

STUDY SELECTION: Confined to application of thermography to musculoskeletal and neurological medicine.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Weighted towards prospective and controlled studies.

CONCLUSION

Little evidence exists of any application of thermography in which it is unequivocally superior to conventional diagnostic imaging methods.