Liquid crystal contact thermography and its role in evaluating sensory disorders of primary neurological origin as revealed by intraneural microstimulation: a review.

Significant neurological research using liquid crystal thermography (LCT) has been performed; however, its acceptance as a practical and useful modality has been slow. Reviewing the method together with some of the most current research should help clarify its role and reveal its potential. This paper defines thermography, describes how infrared patterns are recorded, and reviews determinants of skin temperature, proposed mechanisms of thermal control, normal thermographic patterns, and the role of intraneural microstimulation (INMS) and LCT in evaluating unmyelinated C fibers in sensory disorders of primary neurological origin. The conclusion is that the anatomical and physiological basis for temperature changes in some sensory disorders of primary neurological origin have been established. LCT emerges as a relatively inexpensive, noninvasive, nonionizing technique that may provide insights on the status of unmyelinated systems plus documentation of subjective sensory symptoms.