[The use of contact thermography for evaluating joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis]

The paper is concerned with the results of a study of the hand joints in patients with different variants of a course and activity of rheumatoid arthritis by a method of contact liquid crystal thermography. Methods for assessment of thermography taking account of qualitative and quantitative indices were described. They showed correlation with a degree of disease activity, the presence of the rheumatoid factor, extraarticular symptoms and a time-period. Probable pathogenetic mechanisms of occurrence of characteristic thermographic shifts in rheumatoid arthritic patients were discussed.