Thermal Disparity between Fingers after Cold-water Immersion of Hands: A Useful Indicator of Disturbed Peripheral Circulation in Raynaud Phenomenon Patients.

Objective: To devise an effective method to assess the peripheral circulation using an infrared thermographic analysis.

Methods: Sequential measurements of the skin temperature before and after cold-water immersion of the hands were analyzed by a thermographic examination in healthy controls and patients diagnosed to have Raynaud phenomenon (RP). The skin temperatures of the dorsum of all fingernail folds and the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints were measured at baseline.