Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
www.pharmpress.com/fact
Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2005; 10: 20–1
To promote more transparency in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and establish an important quality standard we aimed to develop a standardised tongue-imaging device that was easy to integrate in everyday practice.
To standardise tongue imaging we constructed a frame on which a Coolpix 5000 digital camera with Soligor ring flash was fixed in a certain angle. A standardised setting with constant tongue-lens distance, illumination and fixed imaging parameters was developed. To compare tongue diagnosis based on the digital image vs. tongue diagnosis based on the actual tongue, we conducted a preliminary study testing the inter-methods, test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities of two experienced doctors.
The standardisation of parameters allowed reproducibility of images. First results indicated good quality of images and easy handling of the device.
Tongue body and tongue coating colour were the main criteria for colourfast authentic reproduction of the tongue. Inter-methods reliability for colour of the tongue body/coating was kappa = 0.35/0.34 (P < 0.001) for observer 1 and 0.65/0.62 (P < 0.001) for observer 2. Test-retest reliability for colour of the tongue body/coating was kappa 0.53/0.48 (P < 0.001) for observer 1 and 0.65/0.62 (P < 0.001) for observer 2.
Standardisation of TCM tongue diagnosis via digital imaging might open new possibilities in research and clinical work. However, as our pilot study shows, inter-methods reliability as well as test-retest reliability results vary between different observers and different diagnostic criteria.
