Thermal imaging as a diagnostic tool for superficial venous insufficiency - a systematic review.

Objectives: Evaluation of the literature assessing the use of thermography, a non-invasive imaging modality that detects pathological temperature variation, in recognising superficial venous insufficiency (SVI).

Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles were screened by two individuals and data was subsequently extracted. Methodological quality was assessed with Cochrane's risk of bias tool.

Results: Four studies comprising 363 patients were included. Three studies identified increased temperature uptake in veins with incompetent valves on venous duplex ( < .05). One study reported sensitivity and specificity of thermal imaging in SVI as 98.30% (95% CI, 95.2%-99.4%) and 100% (95% CI 85.7%-100%) respectively.

Conclusion: Thermal imaging could act as a screening tool in SVI. This review highlights a lack of high-quality prospective studies evaluating the role of thermal imaging as a diagnostic tool that could expedite the assessment of patients.