THERMOGRAPHIC AND SONOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE PAIN: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 2010 TO JULY 2023.

Abstract

Our study is a retrospective study in which, from the total number of patients who were admitted to our institution for knee pain between January 2010 and July 2023, we selected only those who had a positive sonographic finding and were also examined thermographically. The total number of selected patients was 727. Of these, 321 were women and 406 were men aged 11 to 91 years. Average age 45 years. The number of positive sonographic findings was 2,040. According to the nature of the sonographic findings, we divided them into: Findings with liquid content: (gangliomas, cysts, bursae, hydrops, haemarthrosis...) - a total of 36%. Findings of solid structure: (calcifications, ossifications, osteophytes, mucoids, tophi, corpora libera) -           a total of 25%. Femorotibial, femoropatellar arthrosis - a total of 20%. Lesions (meniscopaties, tendinopathies, ruptures of tendons, muscles, ligaments, fractures, abruptions, usurations) -                 a total of 17%. TEP complications – 1%. Others (growing pains, cysts, chondrocalcinosis, aseptic osteonecrosis, tumors, nerve lesions) - a total of 2%. Of 727 patients with sonographic abnormalities, 72% of them had a temperature distribution disorder, 67% of patients had hyperthermia of the painful knee, 5% hypothermia. 28% of patients had a normal temperature pattern of the symptomatic knee compared to the contralateral knee.