삼차신경 손상 환자에서의 적외선 체열 검사의 진단학적 유용성

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the skin temperature alteration on nerve injury area in unilateral trigeminal nerve injury by Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging (DITI) and to discuss the clinical usefulness of DITI in trigeminal nerve injury diagnosis. Method and Material: 42 patients, who had objective evidence of nerve injury by current perception threshold assessment(CPT), were selected from the patients who visited Yonsei University Dental Hospital Department of Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine and were diagnosed with unilateral trigeminal nerve mandibular branch injury by orofacial pain examination and simple nerve examination. The selected patients did DITI and the results were analysed. Results: The skin temperature difference between the left and right trigeminal nerve mandibular branch(ΔV3; Injured side-non injured side) was -0.21±0.25℃, which compared to the skin temperature difference of maxillary branch((ΔV2) 0.00±0.17℃), showed a lower skin temperature at the inured side than the non injured side(p=0.000). But, the ΔV3 did not show a significant difference by CPT grade, pain, aloodynia, hyperalgesia, and the level of invasion into the mandibular canal on computed tomography. Conclusion: DITI may be used as an objective assessment method for unilateral trigeminal nerve injury but more well controlled studies with larger subjects will be needed in the future.