A comparison of thermography, radioisotope scanning and clinical assessment of the knee joints in haemophilia.

Thermography, radioactive scanning and clinical assessment of the knee joints of a series of patients with haemophilia or Christmas disease have been performed. A positive correlation was found between the abnormalities of the thermograms, radioactive scans and the clinical signs in acute haemarthrosis, but not in chronic haemophilic joint disease nor in patients without clinical joint disease. No correlation between the thermograms, radioactive scans and the number of previous joint bleeds was shown. Thermography and radionuclide scanning provide rapid means of quantifying changes within the haemophilic joint and may be useful in assessing treatment of haemophilic haemarthrosis.