SynthesisRheumatology international2026
Infrared thermography in the detection of arthritis: a systematic review of diagnostic performance compared with joint ultrasound.
Synthesis in Rheumatology international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Infrared thermography of the tongue in systemic lupus erythematosus: a pilot study of thermal response to cold stimulation.Rheumatology international · 2026Observational
- Cutaneous Thermography in Arthropathies: Quantitative Imaging, Machine Learning, and Clinical Translation.Journal of imaging · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Early detection of arthritis in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) is critical to prevent irreversible damage. Joint ultrasound (US) offers high sensitivity and availability in a routine clinical practice. However, US is limited by examiner dependency and resource requirements. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a non-invasive, radiation-free method to examine surface temperature alterations linked to arthritis. Although promising, its diagnostic performance relative to joint US remains incompletely defined. The aim of this review was to examine the literature on IRT and its relationship to joint US. We conducted a systematic review of PubMed, Web of Science, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) for studies published between January 2000 and December 2025. Studies were included if they assessed arthritic conditions using both IRT and US. Data on patient cohorts, assessment methods, findings, and diagnostic accuracy were extracted. Of 945 records, 19 studies met the inclusion criteria, primarily in rheumatoid arthritis (n = 13) and mixed populations (n = 4). IRT consistently differentiated inflamed from healthy joints. Sensitivity detecting arthritis ranged from 79 to 100%, specificity from 51 to 94%. Methods varied from basic temperature measures to advanced approaches, including algorithmic segmentation and machine learning-based scores such as ThermoJIS and ThermoDAI. Despite methodological differences, IRT demonstrated reproducible results and was particularly effective in detecting subclinical synovitis. IRT shows strong potential as a complementary, examiner-independent tool for detecting and monitoring joint inflammation in ARDs. Its consistent correlation with US suggests that IRT could serve as a useful adjunct in rheumatologic diagnostics. Future studies with standardized protocols are needed to establish its clinical utility.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.