5.6　Photothermal Imaging

Photothermal imaging is a new and promising technique，which plays an important role in many fields.In 1956，American surgeon Lawson used infrared scanning technology to confirm that the temperature of breast cancer skin was higher than normal，which opened the prelude to the clinical application of photothermal imaging.Photothermal imaging is a medical functional imaging technique based on infrared imaging，which is totally different with other morphological imaging techniques such as X-ray，CT，MRI and ultrasound.Photothermal imaging can monitor the relative intensity of cell metabolism.The infrared scanning and collection system can receive infrared light radiated by human body.Because this radiation is temperature-dependent，the infrared images recorded can be converted into temperature maps，or thermograms，allowing retrieving valuable information about the object under investigation.The temperature changes are quantitatively analyzed to diagnose the location of lesions，which reflects the physiological and pathological conditions of human body.With the rapid development of optoelectronic technology and computer technology，photothermal imaging technique in the medical field has also been developed quickly and extensively.Besides，due to the advantages of simplicity，rapid，non-invasion，convenience and high sensitivity，it plays important roles in early detection，dynamic observation，diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of diseases.(https://www.daowen.com)