[The role of thermography in the diagnosis of obliterating vascular diseases of the lower extremities].

The authors undertook comparative evaluation of the various methods of diagnosis of obliterative diseases of the lower limb vessels in 32 patients with II-III stage arteriosclerosis obliterans. Comparison of the results of arteriography, ultrasonic dopplerography, and objective examination with those of thermovision examination led to the conclusion that the method is valuable in revealing the condition of the collateral bed and microcirculation and the compensatory mechanism of circulation on the whole. In similar treatment in groups of patients formed according to the level of obliteration of the vessels and the thermographic picture, the best results were produced in those groups in which the intensity of the infrared rays was higher, which allowed the conclusion that thermography possesses not only diagnostic but also prognostic significance.