Thermography of the nose and ear in relation to the skin lesions of lepromatous leprosy, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, and lupus pernio.

The nasal and aural temperature patterns of 100 normal subjects have been investigated by infrared thermography, paying particular attention to possible errors of instrumentation and technique which may arise in such areas of complex morphology. Although by no means invariable, the pattern of themograms confirms that certain areas which are relatively cool are often affected in lepromatous leprosy, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, and lupus pernio. In lepromatous leprosy, low temperature appears to govern the localization of disease in most parts of the body, and the possible reasons for this are discussed. Thermography may have a place in the investigation of other skin diseases in which the distribution of lesions on the body surface is unexplained.