The employment of thermographic examinations in the diagnostics of diseases of the paranasal sinuses

Objectives:The article was aimed at assessing the diagnostic value of a thermographic examination of the pathology of the paranasal sinuses.Methods:39 patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. The cases of unilateral inflammations of the maxillary sinuses (odontogenic and non-odontogenic, acute and chronic) were chosen on the basis of a comprehensive panel of diagnostic tests including among other things: a radiological examination, endoscopy, the histopathological assessment of the state of the collected mucous membrane. The thermographic examination was carried out on the day preceding the surgery in the ward after finishing full clinical and radiological diagnostics. The measurements were conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the European Society of Thermology with the use of a FLIR E50 thermal imaging camera. The differences of the maximum temperatures (ΔTmax) between the affected side and the healthy side were characterized. The recorded thermal parameters were related to the t...