How to Select a Breast Thermography Clinic

Pink Image is the gold standard of breast thermography clinics. We do, however, realize that many in need of our services do not reside in Southern California. The following are good questions to ask when choosing a breast thermography clinic.
Pink Image's answers are shown in blue.

What type of camera is being used? What is the camera's optical resolution?

Other clinics claim resolution and sensitivity don't matter.
The images below represent the actual difference between the two cameras. Resolution and sensitivity clearly are important when it comes to breast thermography.

Commonly Used Camera with 240 Line Optical Resolution
The image from other clinic's cameras can only produce scans that are 1/4 the size of the Bales TIP camera. The smaller images show less detail and are more difficult for the interpreter to read.

Bales TIP Camera with 600 Line Optical Resolution

Pink Image uses the Bales Scientific TIP which provides 600 optical lines of resolution. The optical resolution of a camera is correlated to the amount of information the camera is able to capture in each image. For example, a digital camera that captures 6 megapixel images produces higher quality prints than a digital camera that only captures 2 megapixel images. When imaging breast tissue for potential malignancies, you should demand the true highest resolution ultra sensitive infrared camera, the Bales TIP camera which captures 600 optical lines.

Other widely available cameras only offer around 200 optical lines of resolution. While these cameras are acceptable for imaging other parts of the body, Pink Image believes they do not provide the quality or sensitivity needed for breast thermography. It is imperative to ask a breast thermography clinic what type of camera they use and how many lines of optical resolution it scans.

Who is performing the screening? Who is interpreting the scans? What experience do they have (years and number of scans interpreted)?

Pink Image interpreters received all training and were certified under Dr. Hobbins. Dr Hobbins is the original interpretator of breast thermography and all the respected interpretors in the United States studied under him. He has 35+ years of breast thermography experience and has read over 175,000 scans to date! Make sure to ask who is interpreting your scans and who they studied under, and are they board certified with the International Academy of Clinical Thermography or the American Academy of Thermology.

Is the clinic board certified? What does board certified mean?

There are only 2 recognized thermography boards in the United States. In 1971, the American Academy of Thermology was established by a group of M.D's. In the late 1980s, a group of Chiropractors set up the Internation Academy of Clinical Thermography. All respected breast thermography clinics and interpretors are members of only these boards. Pink Image is a member of both boards. There are other boards, academies, and colleges out there. Don't be fooled by fancy names!

Is a sympathetic stress test performed?

Pink Image (and our mentoring Medical Doctor) believe the sympathetic stress test may be important to help contrast normal, healthy tissue from possibly diseased tissue.

What kind of report do I receive following screening? When is the report available?

All reports should provide a clear dignosis graded on a scale from TH-1 (Normal) to TH-5 (Abnormal). This is the most important aspect of the report. Make sure the clinic provides a TH grade, not just a "normal" or "abnormal" reading. This is not a complete diagnosis for breast thermography. It should also include clear printouts of all infrared scans, explanations of criteria used to determine findings, and clear recommendations should follow-up be required. We are available to discuss your report at any time.

To schedule an appointment please call (619) 723-8769.