- thermography
- The technique for making a thermogram.- liquid crystal t. measurement of the regional skin temperature by contact with a flexible plate containing liquid crystals that change color with changes in temperature.
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ther·mog·ra·phy (.)thər-'mäg-rə-fē n, pl -phies a technique for detecting and measuring variations in the heat emitted by various regions of the body and transforming them into visible signals that can be recorded photographically (as for diagnosing abnormal or diseased underlying conditions)ther·mo·graph·ic .thər-mə-'graf-ik adjther·mo·graph·i·cal·ly -i-k(ə-)lē adv* * *
n.a technique for measuring and recording the heat produced by different parts of the body: by using photographic film sensitive to infrared radiation. The picture produced is called a thermogram. The heat radiated from the body varies in different parts according to the flow of blood through the vessels; thus areas of poor circulation produce less heat. On the other hand a tumour with an abnormally increased blood supply may be revealed on the thermogram as a 'hot spot'. The technique was formerly used in the diagnosis of tumours of the breast (mammothermography) before the development of more sensitive techniques (see mammography).* * *
ther·mog·ra·phy (thər-mogґrə-fe) [thermo- + -graphy] a technique wherein an infrared camera is used to photographically portray the surface temperatures of the body, based on the self-emanating infrared radiation; sometimes employed as a means of diagnosing underlying pathologic processes, such as breast tumors.
Medical dictionary. 2011.