Thermal imaging in the diagnosis of acute testicular pain: results of a feasibility pilot study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of thermal imaging for the diagnosis of acute testicular pain. Pain is usually caused by infection, inflammation or torsion of the testis or testicular appendage. Diagnosis is based on examination, laboratory tests, and Doppler ultrasound (DU), which is investigator dependent and may cause delays. Thermal imaging is a fast and noninvasive method for measuring surface temperature. Materials and methods: Our 3-month pilot study investigated the feasibility of thermal imaging for the diagnosis of acute testicular pain. Eighteen consecutive patients were examined using a thermal camera. Results: Two patients had testicular torsion (group 1), two had torsion of the testicular appendage (group 2), four had bacterial epididymitis (group 3), and 10 had inflammatory epididymitis (group 4). The mean ± standard deviation (SD) temperature differences between symptomatic and a reference asymptomatic testicles were −0.65 ± 0.57°C (range, −1.1 to −0.2°C), −0.15 ± 0.21°C (range, −0.3 to 0.0°C), +0.65 ± 0.25°C (range, +0.4 to +1.0°C), and +0.39 ± 0.87°C (range, −1.0 to +1.8°C) in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Conclusions: Thermal imaging is a feasible, noninvasive method for evaluating acute testicular pain. It may serve as a rapid diagnostic tool, but its clinical value must be confirmed in large prospective trials.