Thorax thermographic simulator for breast pathologies

Abstract

New diagnostic techniques for breast cancer detection have been developed and improved, in order to increase patient life expectancy. These techniques were emphasized in early detection of tumors with smaller dimensions, providing a better prognosis. Along with these new methods, it is necessary to propose training devices or tools to support health professionals to use them and rely on them. Our purpose is to develop a device to support thermographic analyses for early breast pathology detection. A programmable thorax was developed with the aim of simulating hyperthermic characteristics of breast pathologies in a defined area. Temperature distributions of breast tissue with a cancerous lesion were mathematically modeled using Pennes’s equation, and a thermo-visual control system was built within the physical model in order to simulate a local thermal pattern of a patient’s thermal image with infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Our results showed a good approximation of simulated thermal
patterns to real images from a patient. In consequence we archived to obtain a thorax simulator device as first step in training health professionals in thermography techniques and to impulse the use of this method for early detection of breast pathologies.