Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34471180›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2021

Automated processing of thermal imaging to detect COVID-19.

Rafael Y Brzezinski, Neta Rabin, Nir Lewis, Racheli Peled, Ariel Kerpel, Avishai M Tsur, Omer Gendelman, Nili Naftali-Shani, Irina Gringauz, Howard Amital and 16 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Infrared thermography in clinical practice: a literature review.European journal of medical research · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

26 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Rafael Y BrzezinskiNeufeld Cardiac Research Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Neta RabinFaculty of Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Nir LewisNeufeld Cardiac Research Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Racheli PeledNeufeld Cardiac Research Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ariel KerpelDepartment of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Avishai M TsurSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Omer GendelmanSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Nili Naftali-ShaniNeufeld Cardiac Research Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Irina GringauzSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Howard AmitalSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Avshalom LeibowitzSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Haim MayanSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ilan Ben-ZviSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Eyal HellerSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Liran ShechtmanSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ori RogowskiSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Shani Shenhar-TsarfatySackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Eli KonenDepartment of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Edith M MaromDepartment of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Avinoah IroniSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Galia RahavSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Yair ZimmerSchool of Medical Engineering, Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ehud GrossmanSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Zehava Ovadia-BlechmanSchool of Medical Engineering, Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Jonathan LeorNeufeld Cardiac Research Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. leorj@tauex.tau.ac.il.
Oshrit HofferSchool of Electrical Engineering, Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Sheba Medical Center · ILTel Aviv University · ILAfeka College of Engineering · ILTel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center · IL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Rapid and sensitive screening tools for SARS-CoV-2 infection are essential to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to properly allocate national resources. Here, we developed a new point-of-care, non-contact thermal imaging tool to detect COVID-19, based on advanced image processing algorithms. We captured thermal images of the backs of individuals with and without COVID-19 using a portable thermal camera that connects directly to smartphones. Our novel image processing algorithms automatically extracted multiple texture and shape features of the thermal images and achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 in COVID-19 detection with up to 92% sensitivity. Thermal imaging scores were inversely correlated with clinical variables associated with COVID-19 disease progression. In summary, we show, for the first time, that a hand-held thermal imaging device can be used to detect COVID-19. Non-invasive thermal imaging could be used to screen for COVID-19 in out-of-hospital settings, especially in low-income regions with limited imaging resources.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAlgorithmsArea Under CurveCOVID-19Disease ProgressionFemaleHumansImage Processing, Computer-AssistedMaleMiddle AgedPoint-of-Care SystemsSensitivity and SpecificitySmartphone

Identifiers

PMID34471180
PMCPMC8410809
OpenAlexW3198650226

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.