Potential Role of Thermography in Evaluation of Disease Activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease - a Case Report

There is a need for simple, noninvasive and reproducible test that could accurately reflect the inflammatory activity, and that could be used safely and repeatedly, during biological course of inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis. The aim of this study was to present the possibility of thermal imaging in assessing the inflammatory disease activity of ulcerative colitis. The authors presented the case of female patient with newly diagnosed, severe ulcerative pancolitis. The thermographic patterns, taken before starting the antiinflammatory treatment, and upon reaching the remission of the disease correlated with clinical and laboratory, and endoscopic findings, as well. This case report pointed out to diagnostic potential of infrared thermographs as a feasible and noninvasive method in evaluation of disease activity, in the patient with severe inflammatory bowel disease, such as acute pancolitis.