Telemonitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease using inertia sensors.

BACKGROUND: Medical treatment in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease is very difficult as dose-finding is mainly based on selective and subjective impressions by the physician. OBJECTIVES: To allow for the objective evaluation of patients' symptoms required for optimal dosefinding, a telemonitoring system tracks the motion of patients in their surroundings. The system focuses on providing interoperability and usability in order to ensure high acceptance. METHODS: Patients wear inertia sensors and perform standardized motor tasks. Data are recorded, processed and then presented to the physician in a 3D animated form. In addition, the same data is rated based on the UPDRS score. Interoperability is realized by developing the system in compliance with the recommendations of the Continua Health Alliance. Detailed requirements analysis and continuous collaboration with respective user groups help to achieve high usability. RESULTS: A sensor platform was developed that is capable of measuring acceleration and angular rate of motions as well as the absolute orientation of the device itself through an included compass sensor. The system architecture was designed and required infrastructure, and essential parts of the communication between the system components were implemented following Continua guidelines. Moreover, preliminary data analysis based on three-dimensional acceleration and angular rate data could be established. CONCLUSION: A prototype system for the telemonitoring of Parkinson's disease patients was successfully developed. The developed sensor platform fully satisfies the needs of monitoring patients of Parkinson's disease and is comparable to other sensor platforms, although these sensor platforms have yet to be tested rigorously against each other. Suitable approaches to provide interoperability and usability were identified and realized and remain to be tested in the field.

[Telemetric system for measuring the pressure of the tongue on the palate]. / Telemetrisches Messsystem zur Bestimmung des Druckes der Zunge gegen den Gaumen.

The development of the upper jaw during growth is influenced by the function and position of the tongue and perioral soft tissues, and the pressures exerted by them. Accurate determination of the forces exerted by the tongue would provide relevant information about this influence. To date, our ability to obtain continuous recordings of the tongue pressure during certain functions is limited. In this paper, an easy-to-employ and accurate telemetric system for such functional measurements is presented. The system, consisting of four piezoresistive pressure sensors, a microcontroller, a telemetric module and batteries, is integrated within a removable orthodontic plate and transmits the measured data out of the oral cavity to a receiver.

[Piezoresistive sensors for medical applications exemplified by a probe for measure pressure in the rectum]. / Piezoresistive Sensoren für medizinische Anwendungen am Beispiel einer Sonde zur Druckmessung im Enddarm.

We described a pressure sensor probe suitable for assessing dynamic rectal pressure profiles. It comprises 10 piezoresistive sensors mounted in low-temperature co-fired ceramic. To protect against corrosion, the sensors are coated with a biocompatible silicone elastomer. The ceramic measures 4.5 x 5.5 x 1.4 mm. The entire probe has a diameter of 9 mm and a length of 20 cm. A healthy test subject was submitted to rectal manometry. The experimental data and analysis of linearity, hysteresis errors, temperature dependence and reproducibility are discussed. The sensor probe extends classical anorectal manometry, in particular with regard to the diagnosis of rectal motility disorders.