Inflammation of the lacrimal drainage system--assessment by thermography.

Thermography is an investigative tool without side effects. To our knowledge thermography has not been evaluated in the assessment of lacrimal passage inflammation and obstruction. It can give an objective assessment of presence and degree of inflammation. An infrared scanning device was used to detect surface temperatures in 29 patients with known disorders of the lacrimal drainage passage. Thermal images were compared for bilateral symmetry and against the normal thermographic appearance of the face. Acute dacryocystitis and canaliculitis showed gross hyperthermia and asymmetry. Forty-two percent of patients with a picture of chronic dacryocystitis and 40% of patients with only tearing and no clinical evidence of inflammation showed temperature elevation on the side of involvement, whereas 58% and 60% of these respective groups showed symmetrical thermal patterns, suggesting no active inflammation. In a few cases there were discrepancies between clinical assessment and objective thermographic evaluation of the degree of inflammation. The implications of our results and possible applications of thermography are discussed.