Application of a New Energy Vision Camera in Foot and Ankle Clinic

A New Energy Vision (NEV) camera was developed by Harry Oldfield in the first decade of this century, it is based on the analysis of photon interference patterns. One well known application of such a device is for evaluation of the subtle electromagnetic field surrounding all living matter. The following investigation was carried out in order to define the possible application of this device in order to detect and quantify electromagnetic field anomalies in foot and ankle pathologies.

Methods:
53 patients with unilateral foot and ankle painful conditions were evaluated. In all patients the cause of pain was not obvious by observation (no outside deformity). The painful area was scanned with a NEV camera. The contra-lateral side was assessed as a control. Analysis of the images was conducted measuring the interference pattern abnormalities (IPA): Consistent lines of interference pattern flow along the limb, changes in resonant frequency of the photons returned from the tissue (based on false coloring of the image), lack of interference pattern in affected area , size of afflicted area. The results of this analysis were compared with results of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and radiographs complemented by either MRI or US scans. Statistical analysis was performed using the Analyze-It software program.

Results:
In 51 out of 53 patients IPA was observed in the affected limb. The correlation between the size of the IPA and the BPI score was high (R>0.85, p<0.01). Lack of consistent lines of interference was noted in 53/53 patients in the afflicted limb. Presence of gray areas of tissue was present in 47/53 cases. The correlation between radiological findings and IPA was low (R<0.5, p<0.1) but the correlation between ultrasonographic and MIR findings and interference pattern was high (R>0.9, p<0.001).

Conclusion:
The NEV camera appears to be an interesting method to quantify pain in foot and ankle pathologies. It allows quantification of the pain with a good correlation with the size of IPA. The correlation with MRI findings might reduce the need for expensive MRI scans and allow quick, cheap, point-of-contact analysis of foot and ankle pathologies.