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Protocols and Instructions

    SD THERMAL IMAGING, LLC relies on board certified service providers that adhere to standardized guidelines to ensure accuracy, reliability, and repeatability of thermal findings and analyses, and compliance to medical standards and laws.

In the U.S., the following certifying organizations certify those thermal imaging providers who adhere to similar guidelines.

●          International Academy of Clinical Thermology  www.iact-org.org

●          International Thermographic Society

●          American Academy of Thermography  www.americanthermology.org

●          American Association of Medical Infrared Imaging

●          American Medical Infrared Academy

Strict protocols and instructions regulate:

●  The acclimation and imaging room environments

For instance, our imaging room temperatures are maintained between 68°-72°F during your appointment with zero tolerance for air drafts. The room temperature does not fluctuate by more than 1° during your imaging session. In addition, no lights are in the "on" position above the client during acclimation or imaging. (One housed-40 watt bulb is used to dimly light the entire imaging room.)

●  Acceptable thermal imaging system specifications

Not every thermal imaging system is appropriate for human studies. For instance, only 8-12 micron detectors are substantiated in the literature for human studies. The MedHot camera and software used by SD Thermal Imaging technician is FDA approved for breast imaging under FDA 21 CFR 884.2980: K033967 and K032471, respectively.

●  Pre-appointment client instructions

No prolonged sun exposure to the body areas being imaged is permissible within five days prior to imaging. Also, use of deodorants or under-arm shaving on the day of breast series imaging is not permissible. No exercise or physical therapy is allowed on the day of imaging prior to the appointment. Other instructions apply.

●  Imaging appointments 

Protocols and instructions regulate client, acclimation, imaging, and documentation handling during all service steps.

●  Analyses

The interpretive doctor/Certified Clinical Thermologist reading breast thermograms for SD Thermal Imaging follows standardized analytical guidelines and a 20-step procedure, assessing temperature readings, heat patterns, vascular formations, vascular dilation and thermobiological risk.

Pre-Thermographic Imaging Instructions

Before you arrive for your Thermal Imaging, certain protocols must be followed in order to ensure that your images reflect accurate information. Please read the following instructions and strictly adhere to them.

• No prolonged sun exposure (especially sunburn) to the chest and breast areas 5 days prior to the exam.

• On the day of the exam, please do not use any lotions, creams, powders, or makeup on the breasts, and no use of deodorants or antiperspirants.

• No shaving (or other types of hair removal) of the chest, breasts, or underarms for 24 hours prior to the exam.

• No treatment (chiropractic, acupuncture, TENS, physical therapy, electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound, hot or cold pack use) of the neck, back, chest, or breasts for 24 hours before the exam.

• No physical stimulation of the breasts for 24 hours prior to the exam.

• No exercise 4 hours prior to the exam.

• If bathing, it must be no closer than 1 hour before the exam.

• If you are nursing, please try to nurse as far from 1 hour prior to the exam as possible.

• If you are using pain medications, please avoid taking them for 4 hours prior to the examination. You must consult with the prescribing physician for his or her consent prior to any change in medication use such as this.

During the examination you will be disrobed from the waist up during the examination for both imaging and to allow for the surface temperature of the body to equilibrate with the room. A female technician will be performing all your imaging.

If you have copies of any other test results (e.g. mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies) please bring them with you. If you have any further questions, please contact our office.

Upon arrival to any imaging location*, you will be introduced to your Certified Clinical Thermographic Technician and to the steps of the imaging appointment:

15 Minute Acclimation:  During this time, you will be alone in an environmentally controlled room to acclimate the surface of the skin to be imaged. The surface of the skin to be imaged must be free of clothing and jewelry during this step.

Imaging Session: All imaging involves the client in a standing position in front of the thermal imaging camera and the technician in a seated position with her back to the client.

• Women's Health & Breast series imaging typically requires 15-20 minutes. While standing in front of the thermal imaging system, you will be asked to inter-clasp your fingers/hands on the back of the head, with your elbows pointing out to your sides. While you are disrobed from the waist-up, the technician will be seated with her back to you during the actual imaging appointment. Between 7-18 views/thermal images are captured (the number is dependent upon breast surface area and size).

• Abdomen/Back/Face series imaging typically requires 10 minutes. Imaging includes a full spine view, an abdominal view, and three oral views.

• Full-Body series imaging typically requires 30-35 minutes. While a gown is worn throughout this step, you will be asked to raise and lower it as needed to expose the skin surface being imaged. The technician's back will face you during the actual imaging (clients conceal their genitalia with a blackbody device.) Typically, 25+ views/thermal images are captured.

• Upper Body series imaging typically requires 15-20 minutes. Clients remove their upper-body garments to be disrobed from the pubic bone-up. The technician's back will face you during the actual imaging. 12+ views/thermal images are captured.

• Lower Body series imaging typically requires 15-20 minutes. While a gown is worn throughout this step, you will be asked to raise and lower it as needed to expose the skin surface being imaged. The technician's back will face you during the actual imaging appointment (clients conceal their genitalia with a blackbody device.) Typically, 13+ views/thermal images are captured.

• Sympathetic/Stress Challenges are included when imaging certain pain clients in an effort to provoke the sympathetic nervous system and to study the subsequent vascular/circulatory response in the body part of interest. This step involves placing the hands (or feet) in a temperature controlled water basin for a duration determined by protocol, and then imaging the body part of interest.

Approx. 5 minute debriefing/payment  

At your first imaging session, you will be provided with a DVD to take home. Because thermography is less understood by the public than technologies like mammography and ultrasound, you may find this this introductory education helpful. You are encouraged to watch (or listen) to it before receiving your interpretive report in the mail; it's purpose is to provide a basic understanding of how thermal imaging works, what the interpretive doctor looks for, and how thermobiological findings can be helpful to you and your health providers.

After each imaging session, you will be asked to provide a form of payment and advised that your report documentation will be mailed directly to you, typically within 14 days. (72 hour STAT reports are available upon request and require an additional charge.) Documentation includes interpretive report(s), all your images printed in color, a "Guide to Understanding Breast Thermal Imaging Reports", and an accounting statement. If you were referred to SD Thermal Imaging by a doctor and would like a complimentary report to go to that doctor, one will be provided.

Documentation Output;

Here is what you can expect to receive in the mail following your imaging appointment:

    ●    A cover letter recapping the imaging services at SD Thermal Imaging, LLC

    ●    Thermal Imaging Report(s)

    ●    Guide to Understanding Breast Thermogram Reports (breast imaging only)

    ●    Color print-outs of all your images

    ●    Financial Statement of Account

This documentation output is typically mailed to you, or, you can make arrangements to pick it up from an imaging location... the choice is yours. Please be sure to let us know of your preferences.

* Each imaging location is provided for a fee by an independently operated health provider with no connection to SD THermal Imagin, LLC. Each location provides facilities and space without service supervision, client involvement, or medical liability.

Home | Women's Health Screening | Men's Health Screening | Bio-Mechanical Imaging | What is Thermal Imaging? | Appointment Information

Services - Fees - Insurance | Common Conditions for Thermal Imaging | Thermal Imaging History | Common Questions | Contact SD Thermal