Thyroid diseases are one of the most common yet neglected endocrine disorders globally. India has a significant burden of thyroid conditions including 4 main thyroid diseases – hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroid nodules and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disorder in India affecting 1 in every 10 individuals with prevalence of 11% as compared to 4.6% in the USA. In India the disease occurs in 1 out of 2640 neonates when compared with the global average of 1 in 3800 neonates. One third of thyroid patients in India remain unaware of their condition. Additionally, the cases of thyroid nodules are on the rise, however only a small percentage (~5%) are cancerous. To determine whether a nodule is cancerous or benign the standard procedure is fine needle aspiration or biopsy which leads to unnecessary fear and distress among the patients.
Also, the Indian Thyroid Society states that with the rising cases of the thyroid disorders in the country, India could be ‘thyroid capital’ of the world and highlights the need for a universal thyroid screening program.

Women are more susceptible to thyroid conditions and suffer in silence. If left untreated, thyroid disorders can result in elevated cholesterol level, serious cardiovascular and neurological complications. Pregnant women with undiagnosed thyroid issues have an increased risk of miscarriage, preterm delivery and severe developmental problems in their children. Early detection of thyroid diseases remains a keystone for its successful treatment.

Overall, thyroid disorders are extremely frustrating and not only they impair the daily quality of life, work performance, economic productivity but also affects the mental state of an individual. Lack of awareness compounded by non-specific symptoms and limited resources inhibits screening for thyroid diseases in the general population.

Innovation
The principal idea of our innovation is unique amalgamation of thermography and artificial intelligence as an effective tool to detect thyroid disorders even before blood tests show the presence of biological markers for the same. Thermography/Digital Infrared Thermal imaging is a proven technique that captures the heat emitted by the body and translates it into high-resolution thermal images. It detects localized areas of temperature changes that are associated with tissue dysfunction and inflammation. In healthy individuals, thermal symmetry is constant and hence even slight thermal asymmetries in the body can be easily determined through thermography which is an early sign of injury or disease. Thermography can additionally detect any blockage in the lymphatic flow, circulation which can be affected due to the onset of thyroid diseases. It is an easy, non-invasive, early detection technique to diagnose thyroid-related diseases including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. Further, the integration of the deep learning AI model along with thermography will enable automated and accurate diagnosis of thyroid diseases in real-time.
Additionally, application of AI to Ultrasonography will save the patients from undergoing invasive procedures to detect malignancy of thyroid nodules.
Our cloud based AI solutions would pre-process images to filter noise and improve their resolution and rely on deep neural networks to detect any abnormalities on thermal and ultrasound images of the thyroid region.
Our solution consists of developing an affordable high resolution thermal camera to capture images of the thyroid gland. These thermal images will then be analysed by our computer vision algorithms to detect the abnormalities of a thyroid gland.

USP
Given the burden of thyroid disorders in India, there is a necessity for radiation-free, non invasive, no-touch portable screening tool with less operator dependency for diagnosis of thyroid diseases at an early stage. Thus, thermography is an ideal technique which fits the screening criteria. It will also be useful for population screening and preventative health check-ups in a prompt and hassle free way.
Laboratory blood tests (T3, T4, TSH), imaging tests like ultrasonography (USG) etc are routinely used to diagnose various thyroid disorders. However, there is an unending controversy over the standardized threshold to detect hypothyroidism in blood tests. Also, the invasive nature of blood tests make it unfavourable as a population screening tool. USG offers only 2D details with low spatial resolution of order of mm and is highly operator dependent.
X-ray and Gamma Ray CT are not routinely advised due to high risk of thyroid cancer. Also, MRI is not advised unless the patient is at very high risk of thyroid dysfunction. Hence, thermography has a great potential to be a screening modality for early detection of thyroid dysfunction.
For detection of malignant nodules, integration of AI and USG will allow for easy and comfortable detection.
Since thermography is a completely safe technique, it can be used as a screening device for men, women and children of all age groups. Also, for pregnant women, neonates and rural populations with limited access to healthcare. It can widely be used for teleconsultation purposes.