A multi-dimensional thermal model was presented to explore the relationship between an embedded tumor and the
resulting temperature distributions on the breast surface on purpose to be an adjunct tool for interpreting thermograms.
Steady-state temperature distributions on the skin of the breast were attained by numerically solving the heat diffusion
equation. The numerical results show that the temperature distributions in the thermal images of breast tumor can be
significantly influenced by surface air flow and environmental temperature. Furthermore, the simulated results also show
that thermography do not have sufficient sensitivity for detection of a small tumor in deeper region. Finally, the
feasibility and limitations of capturing tumor information by infrared thermal imaging is discussed. Our study shows that
the heat patterns over breasts can be well simulated with this comprehensive thermal model, which may be helpful for
the doctor to interpret the thermograms.
A three-dimension comprehensive thermal model of breast is developed to understand the influence of the tumor on the
surface temperature. Finite element analysis method is used to solve the heat diffusion equation. The simulated results
show that the surface temperature distribution of the breast is directly related to the position and size of the tumor
embedded in it. It is also found that our numerical results could capture the change in the position of tumor. Furthermore,
the numerical results are compared with the thermography. Our study shows that the temperature distribution over
breasts can be well simulated with this comprehensive thermal model, which seems to be a powerful adjuvant tool to
help the clinician in the interpretation of thermograms.
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