TAS's pioneering work in thermography, its adherence to international standards, and its innovative creations have always set it apart from other interpretation services. Now, TAS ushers in a new era of non-invasive imaging by introducing Spatial Thermal Imaging©, a technique that virtually strips away tissue to visualize subcutaneous thermal sources.

Introduction to Spatial Thermal Imaging©

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Blood vessels, organs, benign sources and metabolic processes all radiate heat. A portion of the radiated heat flows to the skin and forms a stable thermal pattern directly related to the heat transferred from these subcutaneous thermal sources. Special, high precision heat-sensitive cameras digitally record these surface temperature patterns in images called thermograms. Thermography successfully derives symptomatology using statistical analysis and subjective interpretation of surface thermal artifacts to interpret the thermal patterns.

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Recent advances in infrared camera technology have significantly improved image quality and precision. These enhancements led TAS to posit, and later confirm the existence of significant additional information in the image, beyond that which relates to the basic structure and macro-characteristics of the thermal patterns. Now, after three years of development and successfully testing its discovery, TAS is publicly introducing Spatial Thermal Imaging (STI), a proprietary thermographic method of visualizing organs and physiological functions beneath the skin.

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STI is an advanced mathematical digital technique that in essence, recreates a visualization of the thermal sources forming the patterns captured in a conventional thermogram. Spatial Thermal Imaging virtually peels away tissue to 'see' what lies beneath.

As the following images comparing STI with conventional thermography, mammography and MRI show, STI ushers in an entirely new era in medical thermal imaging:

 

Neither mammography or conventional thermography revealed significant indications of disorder, but both MRI and STI clearly disclose a cluster of suspicious tissue associated with a [possible feeder] vessel.

STI is an indispensible adjunctive means of enhancing thermogram interpretation and the following images speak volumes to its undeniable capability and usefulness.

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Breast Thermography Examinations

This conventional thermogram is a typical medium-resolution (320px X 240px), grayscale image of a reported-asymptomatic breast. (White is hot; Black is cold.)

The risk of breast disorder is calculated based on the presence of up to twenty-two observed statistically significant 'thermal signs.' This image shows only two such signs - an irregular prominent surface vessel and a cool area (circled) generally of minor importance. Conventional interpretation finds this breast examination equivocal and the breast at borderline risk for development of breast cancer. But, STI discloses a much different scenario.

In this specific case, STI reveals multiple suspicious masses beneath the observed cool region, which leads to a different finding. Instead of an equivocal finding with borderline risk, the breast is found to be 'intensely abnormal' and at very high risk for development of breast cancer.

The following image series shows the STI progression through the breast tissue:

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The STI shallow-depth image (2) depicts the conventional thermogram processed with STI technology and visualizes slightly below the skin surface. Note the area under the circled cool region, on the prominent vessel. It appears shrouded with convoluted vascular congestion, consistent with the appearance of neoangiogenesis. This revelation alone serves to elevate the examination findings to intensely abnormal from equivocal.

Further investigation with an STI deep-tissue study of the same region (3) discloses a large suspicious mass attached to the prominent vessel. Magnification of the large mass (4) shows it is actually composed of three independent masses. These masses were confirmed with MRI and biopsy/pathology confirmed them to be malignant tumors. (Remarkably, the smallest tumor seen is less than 0.3 cm, the limit of conventional mammography resolution.)

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Breast thermography is only one of many purposes where STI is a useful adjunct to the thermographic image evaluation and interpretation process. However, at this moment in time, TAS concentrates mainly on the interpretation of breast function

 

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