Abstract
Objective The present study aimed to analyze the use of thermal images as a tool to aid in
the diagnosis of dysfunctions in the patellar tendon.
Methods A systematic review of the literature was carried out, following the PRISMA protocol
with a search in international databases: Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Pubmed. Descriptors
in English were used with the following combination ("thermal imaging" OR thermography
OR "Infrared image" OR "Skin Temperature" OR "thermal image" OR "Infrared imaging")
AND ("patellar tendon"). The evaluation of the methodological quality of the selected
works was carried out by two evaluators independently, using the Quality Assessment
of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool.
Results Six original articles were selected. Three papers evaluated changes in skin temperature
in pathological situations. Two other works evaluated the reliability and reproducibility
of thermography specifically in the patellar tendon region, and one article monitored
skin temperature before and after two physical training protocols.
Conclusion It can be concluded that the use of thermal images proved to be an excellent tool
to support the diagnosis of dysfunctions in the patellar tendon region, as well as
for monitoring the physiological changes in this region also in non-pathological conditions,
such as during physical training.
Keywords
diagnosis - knee - patellar tendon - thermography
