System for detection and treatment of infection or inflammation

摘要

A system for visualizing a medical treatment of a human or animal body part. The system has means for thermal treatment of the body part, means for determining the temperature distribution on the body part, and means for identifying the location of a particular temperature determined on the body part. Further, a method for visualizing the temperature characteristics of a human or animal body part is provided. The method includes the steps of comparing a first temperature distribution data set of the surface of the body part with a second temperature distribution data set of the surface of the body part, wherein the first temperature distribution data set is determined before and the second temperature distribution data set is determined after a thermal treatment of the body part, and visualizing the temperature distribution data sets of the body part.

主权项

1. A system for displaying a medical treatment of a human or animal body part, comprising:
means for thermal treatment of the body part; means for determining a temperature distribution, the means for determining a temperature distribution being configured to obtain a first temperature distribution data set of the surface of the body part and a second temperature distribution data set of the surface of the body part, the first temperature distribution data set representing a temperature distribution of the body part before a treatment of the body part, and the second temperature distribution data set representing a temperature distribution of the body part after a treatment has begun on the body part; a computer programmed to:
determine a 3-D representation of a temperature map signature over a time of thermal treatment where a vertical axis represents a temperature and a horizontal axis represents special coordinates or both axes in the 3-D representation represent special coordinates and the contours represent equi-temperature lines;compare the first temperature distribution data set to the second temperature distribution data set to determine a rate of change of the temperature distribution of the body part over a period of time;detect a specific location of the body part that is subject to a condition based on the temperature map signature and the rate of change, wherein the condition is selected from the group consisting of: inflammation or infection;compare the rate of change to a database to determine whether the condition is inflammation of infection, the database containing data obtained from thermal treatments of one or more former patients and data from theoretical simulations previously carried out by the computer;determine that the body part is subject to inflammation when the temperature map signature shows the body part cooling at a first rate and the rate of change being a first rate;determine that the body part is subject to infection when the temperature map signature shows the body part cooling at a second rate and the rate of change being a second rate;wherein the second rate is slower than the first rate; andgenerating or amending a treatment protocol based on the rate of change; and means for displaying the temperature distribution, wherein the means for displaying the temperature distribution is configured to display the temperature distribution dependent on the location of the body part and wherein the means for displaying the temperature distribution is configured to provide the 3D representation of the temperature map signature over the time of thermal treatment.