Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to define the cut off values of cold hypersensitivity of hands by using digital infrared thermographic imaging(DITI). Methods: Thermographic images of 130 patients with cold hypersensitivity of hands(CHHG, n=65) and non-cold hypersensitivity of hands(NCHHG, n=65) were retrospectively reviewed. We used the temperature difference the palm(PC8) and the upper arm(LU4) for diagnosing cold hypersensitivity of hands. The temperature differences of between two groups were analysed using independent samples t-tests. The cut off values were calculated by ROC curve analysis. Analyses were undertaken using SPSS version 17.0. P value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The temperature difference the palm(PC8) and the upper arm(LU4) were significantly different between groups(p < 0.001). Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were 70.8%, 73.8%, respectively both hands. The AUC was 0.822 on right hand and 0.818 on left hand. The optimum cut-off value was defined as $-0.05^{\circ}C$. Conclusions: These results suggest that DITI is a reliable instrument for estimating the cold hypersensitivity of hands.