Thermography in surveillance of ulcerative colitis — Case report

Ulcerative colitis represents a chronic condition occurring in relapsing and remitting fashion with uncertain outcome and requires lifelong treatment with considerable sideffects. Diagnostic methods currently in use give an insight into disease activity, but are possibly associated with significant discomfort for the patient. For that reason there is a need for a noninvasive, biologically inert method for evaluation of disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of this paper is to present the potential of thermography in surveillance of ulcerative colitis. The authors present two cases of patients with ulcerative pancolitis. The thermographic patterns, taken before starting the anti-inflammatory treatment, and upon reaching the remission of the disease correlated with clinical and laboratory, and endoscopic findings, as well. This case report points out to diagnostic potential of infrared thermography as a feasible and noninvasive method in evaluation of disease activity, such as acute pancolitis.