Thermal threshold for knee osteoarthritis people evaluated with infrared thermography: A scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: Knee degenerative processes, such as osteoarthritis, are disabling. An early intervention is generally more effective making important a timely diagnosis. A pre-diagnosis tool could be the thermal camera that allows the detection of joint inflammation. Consequently, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the literature and propose a thermal attention threshold for infrared thermography data in people with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: four electronic databases were searched with specific keywords until the 25^th of March 2024. Only original articles about joint inflammation due to osteoarthritis evaluated through digital infrared thermal images were included. A quality assessment analysis was performed. The attention threshold was extracted through the median of the extracted data. The findings were narratively discussed.

Results: A total of 9 studies have been included after the eligibility criteria selection. The studies presented some differences in terms of acquisition protocol, thermal imaging camera, data extrapolation, and analysis. Despite these differences, the studies presented similar thermal data.

Conclusion: A knee thermography of or above 31.3 °C could indicate osteoarthritis, highlighting the necessity of further, more specific, and accurate analysis.

Keywords: Attention pattern; IRT; Normative data; Osteoarthritis; Thermography.