Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging(DITI) is a study measuring the surface temperature of the skin which could be controlled by the vasomotor activity of the sympathetic nervous system. DITI is useful in diagnosis of many disease entities, such as the peripheral neuropathy, the cardiovascular diseases, the musculoskeletal diseases, and so on. This study aims to identify the distribution of the absolute skin temperature in normal healthy subjects by repeating DITI four times. DITI was taken on 25 normal healthy males who do not have any neuromuscular or cardiovascular diseases. The distribution of the absolute temperature of the skin surface was between 29.5°C and 31.9°C. The Rt-to-Lt side difference of the surface temperature was 0.1±0.1°C on the whole areas of the skin surface, except lateral sole and heel of which difference of interside temperature were 0.2±0.1°C and 0.2±0.2°C, respectively.

The maximal difference of the skin temperature in same individual was maximal at dorsal elbow(1.7±1.2°C) and minimal at dorsal hand(1.1±0.3°C) in upper extremity, and maximal at heel(1.8±0.5°C) and minimal at dorsal foot(1.4±0.9°C) in lower extremity. The Rt-to-Lt side difference in this study may become a control data to be used in the further studies using DITI.

Keywords :Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging, Absolute temperature, Rt-to-Lt temperature difference