Thermocardiography of myocardial ischaemia

ABSTRACT

Thermography is as actively developing science which appears highly suitable for the examination of the heart, 314 patients complaining of dyspnoea, easy fatigability and precardial pain on effort were examined both before and after effort by an 18 leads ECG and thermophil readings. A thermophil M 202 ULTRAKUST production was used. In this work the effect of age appeared little when comparing every age group with the preceding or the following group. On the contrary the sex difference appeared dominant and necessitated the discussion of male and female findings separately. Generally normal men has the cardiac temperature curve negative at V3 position. Normal females has the cardiac temperature curve positive with increased upwards convexity maximum of V4 position, mainly above the age of 30 years. In the age group 40-49 years, the two curves tend to meet at both ends but the right end tend to separate above the age of 50 years. Below the age of 30 years, the two curves have a similar appearance [convex downwards] but the female curve lied far to the positive half. In cases of old anterior infarcts, males and females were warmer than normals [Significant in females; P 0.05]. In cases of old posterior infarcts they were cookr than normals. In case of current anterior and posterior ischaemias in males they were warmer while in females they were cooler than normals. The highest significance of thermocrdiography as a screening test appears to be in latent myocardial ischaemia, females showed warmer curves at rest while males developed significant cooling after effort [P 0.01]. if the confidence limits around the mean in normal males and females could be calculated, ischaemic people could be differentiated from on the bases of the normal curve functions established from normals. Calculation of the mean thermal points [MTP] and the total thermal quantities [TTQ] and the confidence limits in normal people can allow easy detection of ischaemics. Thermocardiography is an easy, reliable, very cheap successful screening test in studies of myocardial ischaemias which can substitute the more costly ECG studies, reserving them for confirmation of suspected cased cases