Quantitative assessment of hand motor function in cervical spinal disorder patients using target tracking tests

Abstract

Abstract-Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a chronic spinal disorder in the neck region. Its prevalence is growing rapidly in developed nations, creating a need for an objective assessment tool. This article introduces a system for quantifying hand motor function using a handgrip device and target tracking test. In those with CSM, hand motor impairment often interferes with essential daily activities. The analytic method applied machine learning techniques to investigate the efficacy of the system in (1) detecting the presence of impairments in hand motor function, (2) estimating the perceived motor deficits of patients with CSM using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and (3) detecting changes in physical condition after surgery, all of which were performed while ensuring testretest reliability. The results based on a pilot data set collected from 30 patients with CSM and 30 nondisabled control subjects produced a c-statistic of 0.89 for the detection of impairments, Pearson r of 0.76 with p < 0.001 for the estimation of ODI, and a c-statistic of 0.82 for responsiveness. These results validate the use of the presented system as a means to provide objective and accurate assessment of hand motor function impairment and surgical outcomes.

Machine Learning in Orthopedics: A Literature Review

“…A further study aimed at assessing the validity of LDA, QDA, and SVM in modeling hand motor impairments for assessing cervical spine disorder (Lee et al, 2016 ). Pre-surginal patients underwent a test with a handgrip device, which was able to track two waveforms: sine waveform, to measure hand muscle movements, and step waveform to measure handgrip force.…”

Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Neurosurgery: a Systematic Literature Review Using Topic Modeling. Part II: Research Objectives and Perspectives

“…assessing the motor function in patients with cervical spine disease and lumbar stenosis of the spinal canal [ 53 , 54 ];…”

A Pilot Study of a Finger Kinematic Parameter-Based Tool for Evaluating Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

“…Modified test protocols using video cameras and other devices have been proposed. 39,40 Koyama et al 34 used a camera to measure finger movements, velocity, position and direction of the fingertip, assessed by a support vector machine. The index, middle, ring fingers, and little fingers all had an AUC higher than 0.8.…”

“…The results of the G&R test are unsatisfactory. Modified test protocols using video cameras and other devices have been proposed 39,40 . Koyama et al 34 used a camera to measure finger movements, velocity, position and direction of the fingertip, assessed by a support vector machine.…”