Abstract
Object : This study is designed to evaluate the correlation between the data of DITI(Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging)examination and the changes of clinical symptom after the therapy of acupuncture in the patients with herniated cervical intervertebral disc. Content : The conservative therapy with acupuncture was performed during $4{\sim}5$ weeks, The acupuncture points of SI3, B62, TE3, G34, LI4, S36, GV26, G21, SII5 were used. In the pre- and post therapy, DITI examinations were performed in patients who had HIVD and were treated by acupuncture simultaneously, and then tried to correlate the results of clinical symptoms with the difference of thermographic findings at pre-acupuncture and post-acupuncture. Setting : The standard routine thermoghaphic examinations were performed with thermography(DITI) in the 15 patients with lumbar disc herniations at pre- and post acupuncture. Patient : Thermographic imaging of 15 cases were analyzed. They has disc herniations in X-ray, CT scan and MRI and they were treated by acupuncture theraphy in our hospital from March, 1994 to January, 1995. Result : 1) The causes were trauma(60%), retention of phlegm and fluid(8.7%) and cold & moisture(33.3%) 2) Levels of herniated cervical disc are C2/3(1 case). C3/4(2 cases), C5/6 & C6/7 (2 cases), C6/7(4 cases), Normal(6 cases). 3) Classifications of thermographic pattern are radiculopathy(80%), spot(13.3%), and nonspecific(6.7%) in order. 4) In evaluation Results of clinical symptom are Excellent(80%), Good(6.7%), and Poor(6.7%). Data of DITI are Excellent(80%), Good(6.7%), Fair(6.7%), and Poor(6.7%). Conclusion ; Acupuncture showed good results over 86.7% in clinical evaluation and 86.7% in DITI. Thermographic examination was valuable in the evaluation of therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment.
