Thermography FAQs
What is thermography?
Thermography – digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) – uses an ultra-sensitive infrared camera to record the heat your body naturally radiates. The result is a detailed map of surface temperature and vascular patterns: a physiological view, as opposed to the structural images produced by X-ray, ultrasound, or MRI.
What can a thermogram actually tell me?
It documents how warmth is distributed across your body – whether the two sides match, where localized warming or cooling appears, how vascular patterns present, and how all of that compares with your prior studies. Those are physiological observations that you and your healthcare provider can weigh alongside everything else they know about you. What it can’t do is diagnose a condition by itself – and anyone who tells you otherwise is overselling.
Can breast thermography take the place of mammography?
No. They are different instruments answering different questions: a mammogram images breast structure; a thermogram documents surface heat and vascular patterns. Breast thermography at TDI is an adjunct to mammography and clinical breast care. Keep the screening schedule your healthcare provider recommends, and let a thermal baseline add to that picture rather than compete with it.
Is thermography FDA cleared?
No telethermographic system is cleared or approved by FDA as a stand-alone screening or diagnostic tool; systems legally marketed in the United States are limited to adjunctive use. That is precisely how we use thermography – as an additional layer of physiological information alongside the care your provider directs.
Why do patients choose TDI specifically?
Longevity and discipline. We have imaged patients since 1982 under physician-developed protocols: temperature-controlled rooms, patient acclimation before imaging, standardized views, marked regions of interest for repeatable measurement, board-certified technicians, and interpretation of every study by a Board-Certified Clinical Thermologist. Thermography’s value depends entirely on technique, and technique is where we have spent four decades.
Who performs the imaging?
Board-certified thermographic technicians. Breast imaging is always performed by our female technicians in a private, temperature-controlled room.
What happens during a breast thermography appointment?
You disrobe from the waist up and acclimate to the cool imaging room – that equilibration is part of the protocol, not waiting time. Your technician then captures multiple standardized views while you stand in front of the camera; a cold challenge may be included. Nothing touches you at any point: no compression, no injections, no ionizing radiation.
What about neuromuscular or pain-related studies?
Same discipline, different regions: bilateral standardized views of the areas relevant to your concerns, captured under controlled conditions so side-to-side temperature comparisons are meaningful. The report documents asymmetries and patterns for your treating clinician to correlate – it does not itself diagnose CRPS, nerve injury, or any pain condition.
And facial-thyroid-dental studies?
High-resolution imaging of the sinuses, jawline, dental arches, neck, and thyroid region. Findings are physiological observations to review with your physician or dentist – not diagnoses of thyroid, dental, sinus, or TMJ conditions.
How and when do I get results?
A written report, reviewed by a Board-Certified Clinical Thermologist, arrives by email typically within 2-3 weeks. We can send a copy to your healthcare provider, and a phone consultation is available if you would like the report walked through.
What does a report look like?
Plain-language findings describing thermal symmetry, localized warming or cooling, vascular patterning, and comparison with prior studies, alongside the images themselves. It is written to be handed to a practitioner.
My report mentions an asymmetry. Should I worry?
An asymmetry is an observation, not a verdict – heat patterns have many possible explanations, from hormonal activity to old injuries. The right response is neither alarm nor a shrug: review the finding with your healthcare provider, who can decide whether it deserves follow-up.
Should I have a mammogram?
That decision belongs with you and your healthcare provider, based on your age, history, and personal factors. Our position is simple: follow your provider’s screening recommendations. Thermography adds; it never substitutes.
Is thermography covered by insurance?
Coverage varies by plan. Payment is due at the time of service, and we will provide a claim form you can submit to your insurer.
How do I prepare for my appointment?
You’ll receive a preparation checklist when you book. The theme is simple: arrive with your skin in its natural state – no lotions or powders that day, no intense exercise or hot shower right before – so the camera reads you, not your morning routine.
What about the older articles on this site?
We are actively reviewing legacy articles against our current editorial standards. For TDI’s present-day descriptions of thermography – what it documents, what it can’t do, and how we work – rely on our current service pages and this FAQ.