The procedure is matched to the fluorescent dye indocyanine green (e.g. ICG-Pulsion®), which is approved for microcirculation diagnostics in Europe. The disturbed microcirculation as the main feature of inflammation is well studied clinically and experimentally.Fluorescence imaging on the patient has a much greater advantage over other imaging modalities, such as. X-ray examinationmagnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound. Fluorescence imaging uses visible light for diagnosis, takes only a few minutes and completely covers both hands including the wrists. The examination is highly standardised and can be evaluated quantitatively. The rheumascan is performed independently by medical staff after only a short training period.
The Rheumascan procedure can be carried out without any special patient preparation. The examination time is 6 minutes. Already approx. 60 seconds after the intravenous injection of the fluorescent dye, its accumulation in the disturbed microcirculation of the inflamed joints can be detected. The examining rheumatology doctor Xiralite® X4 fluorescence camera system is the first system available for clinical routine diagnostics. Xiralite® stimulates the fluorescence of the ICG by means of light-emitting diodes in the dark red spectrum of light. The XiraView software controls the examination and assists in the evaluation. The contrast agent kinetics are displayed in real time. The recorded images of the fluorescence intensities on both hands enables the immediate recognition of inflammation foci at a glance.
