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Quantitative Assessment of Abdominal Physical Features Associated with Cold Pattern
Keun Ho Kim1, Jun-Su Jang1, Seok-Jae Ko2
1Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseongdae-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Objective abdominal examination using algometric, geometric, and chromatic features can help identify the cold pattern (CP) in Traditional East Asian Medicine. These quantitative measures offer potential for standardized clinical assessment and improved diagnostic consistency.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM)
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Abdominal examination (AE) is crucial in TEAM for assessing abdominal shape, tenderness, stiffness, and color.
- Conventional AE is subjective and lacks standardized quantitative indicators.
- This study aimed to quantitatively characterize abdominal features of the cold pattern (CP) for standardized assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively characterize abdominal physical features associated with the cold pattern (CP) in Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM).
- To explore the potential of objective abdominal examination devices in supporting standardized pattern-related assessment.
- To investigate the association between quantitative algometric, geometric, and chromatic abdominal features and CP.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 63 functional dyspepsia patients and 60 healthy controls.
- Participants were classified for CP using a validated cold-heat pattern identification questionnaire.
- Abdominal features were quantified using digital algometry and a geometric assessment system, measuring pressure tolerance, indentation depth, stiffness, abdominal depth, curvature, and CIE L*a*b* color parameters.
Main Results:
- Individuals with CP exhibited significantly lower pressure tolerance, indentation depth, stiffness, and CIE a* values.
- A flatter abdominal contour was observed in participants with CP.
- The integrated model demonstrated moderate discriminative performance with a cross-validated ROC-AUC of 0.777.
Conclusions:
- Quantitative algometric, geometric, and chromatic abdominal features are significantly associated with the cold pattern (CP).
- Objective abdominal measurements can complement conventional AE by providing quantitative indicators for standardized assessment.
- Quantitative abdominal evaluation shows potential for improving diagnostic consistency in TEAM.
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