Patent Application
20170347919
None.
A early detection device to diagnose scoliosis in adolescents without exposure to harmful x-rays provides a portable, accurate and inexpensive hand-held diagnostic tool to determine deviations from the Cobb Angle in the spine, the detection device connecting to a receiver unit to receive data obtained from the detection device completing the diagnostic testing for visual review and diagnosis on the receiver unit. It is also provided in alternative embodiment to test the integrity of structural components in various industries, including surface irregularities and defects and cracks in beams and wall, pipes or beams.
A preliminary review of prior art patents was conducted by the applicant which reveal prior art patents in a similar field or having similar use. However, the prior art inventions do not disclose the same or similar elements as the present non-invasive diagnostic detection device, nor do they present the material components in a manner contemplated or anticipated in the prior art.
Several manual gauges are demonstrated in the prior art which visually determine a deviation of normal spinal curvature in devices that relate to scoliosis diagnosis. These devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,329 to Gregory, which is a machine that one stands upon, but is used to determine C1 subluxation. U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,133 to Thompson is a device that is placed behind a patient with the arm placed upon the back starting with the lowest vertebrae and working up measuring curvature using a protractor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,525 to Bunnel is a device operated by running the device along the back of a patient while they are bent over with an internal plumb bob inside showing the degree of shift from center. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,162 to Gerhardt, a caliper is used to measure deviation from the left and right rib hump using an inclinometer to measure the angle on the spine at any given height. A spinal anthropometer or lordosimeter is described which give a 3D configuration of the spine using point encodement from spinal landmarks and then uses an algorithm to provide analysis.
A computer graph generated by a device run along the back provides a 3D graph of the spine in U.S. Pat. No. 7,883,477 to Ichikawa. A hand-held device worn on the index finger provides a position sensor knowing the predetermined distance from the tip of the index finger to track a course along the spine, tracking its course to assess curvature of the spine in U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,260 to Shechtman. An X-axis and Y-axis providing the device using a computer mouse using a roller ball and light emitter system to track motion along the spine and relate it to the X and Y axis is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2006/0015042 to Linial. Lastly, in U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2006/0021240 to Horgan, an inclinometer placed on the upper region of the patient transfers data to a display, the inclinometer attached to a bed frame upon which the patient lays, transfers data to computer which provides an image in green versus red contrast to determine deviation of the spine.
Scoliosis is a common problem among adolescents and often goes without proper treatment due to x-rays being the primary method of diagnosis in children within this age grouping. Radiation from x-rays can be damaging to a child's developing body. This diagnosis is important especially prior to puberty where undiagnosed scoliosis can become permanent and less successfully remediated. Early detection is key with scoliosis and although there are other methods for the detection of scoliosis, the only reliable methods of measuring the degree of curvature of the spine is with x-rays or MRI scans. Since 1 in 33 people have some degree of scoliosis, it is important to develop a method of diagnosis that can be used to general checkups without special training, expensive equipment or exposure to harmful radiation.
Current scoliometers used in screenings are largely unreliable. Many of the methods used, such as the scoliometers identified in the prior art, commonly give false readings and therefore produce unreliable medical data. They are not considered legitimate data to support an official medical diagnosis. To acquire a reliable accurate measurement, a patient must receive x-rays to image their spine and then have a doctor make hand measurements to determine the Cobb Angle at any point.
Cobb angle or Cobb's angle is know in the field of medicine and is used to quantify the magnitude of spinal deformities, especially in the case of scoliosis. The angle may be plotted manually or digitally and scoliosis is defined as a lateral spinal curvature with a Cobb angle of 10 degrees or more. The Cobb angle was first described in 1948 by Dr. John R. Cobb. In an article critical of school-based screening programs in 2002, Dr. K Allen Greiner because of a lack of follow-up treatment he deemed necessary for these programs to have any value. He recommended that physicians follow up on the school diagnosed children with an MRI or radiographs of the full spine before eight years of age, for those having rapid curve progression of more than 1 degree per month, an unusual curve pattern such as left thoracic curve, neurologic deficit or pain. Early treatment of the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is necessary to prevent the progression of the curve magnitude and should be followed up.
Additionally, industrial applications are presented in various embodiments of the detection devices for application to surface irregularities in outer surfaces of machines and building structural defects in panels, pipes, beams, and other support structures. The detection device can perform integrity diagnostics without destructive testing, being able to detect micro-defects which cannot be seen by the naked eye or visual inspection. The remote capabilities also provide the user with an ability to send real time information which can be enhanced and calibrated for further evaluation and reading by a remote diagnostic location.
The present micro deviation detection device provides a reliable pre-screening tool without unnecessary radiation for those adolescents in order to make proper referral to medical professionals during that period of time that minimization of the curve magnitude, if present, can be treated and halted prior to adulthood, where sever complications and decay of the spinal integrity can no longer be successfully treated. It also supplies a reliable diagnostic tool for the non-destructive testing of building and structural components in industrial applications.
The following drawings are submitted with this utility patent application.
A deviation detection scan device 10 providing for the measurement of surface linear and planar deviations in certain objects, shown in
A first embodiment deviation detection device 10 is presented for the measurement of a planar surface, shown in
An outer surface 24 of the flat base member 22 extends a plurality of sorbothane hemispheres 45 to provide a vibration damper to the device 10 as the device 10 is run along a planar surface, minimizing human error resulting from shaking or unsteady hands. Suspended within the inner cavity 32 of the platform base member 22 by a plurality of fixed support pegs 40 is the microprocessor 60, which is an Arduino or similar microprocessor unit, a second IMU 50 and the Bluetooth module 70. The microprocessor 60 as defined herein, is preferably Arduino Uno, which has the potential to perform the functions as previously stated herein. The term Arduino, as defined herein, is an open-source prototyping platform based upon easy-to-use hardware and software, which enable circuitry to read inputs and turn it into an output. These are programmable by the user by sending a set of instructions to the microprocessor 60 using Arduino language and programming. Use of other microprocessors 60 providing the same or similar function can serve as alternative microprocessors and can be used interchangeably, which is why the component is referenced by its generic name instead of the more specific term Arduino. Thus, for purposes of this application, microprocessor 60, Arduino and Arduino-compatible are interchangeable by preference to avoid limitations of the subject matter and scope of this component. The microprocessor 60 is the main processing unit communicating all data from the IMU/gyroscope 50 to either a computer, not shown, or the Bluetooth module 70. The Bluetooth module 70 is used to relay information and data from the microprocessor to an external device, not shown, which may be a remote computer or phone. Compliant and appropriate software will convert the information and data into a meaningful chart, graph or other visual readout to determine if an abnormal findings are obtained during the operation.
The purpose of the first embodiment of the deviation detection device 10 with the flat base member 20 is for use to diagnose scoliosis in children and adolescent without exposure to harmful radiation used in other forms of diagnosis including disruptive diagnostic testing including X-ray, MRI and CT scans. Secondary application of this embodiment include non-destructive testing of manufactured products to detect fractures or dents in surfaces, including aircraft and automotive surfaces, deflections in pipes and beams, cracks in bridge supports, walls and panels, and other surface irregularities.
The present flat base deviation detection device provides a reliable pre-screening tool without unnecessary radiation for those adolescents in order to make proper referral to medical professionals during that period of time that minimization of the curve magnitude, if present, can be treated and halted prior to adulthood, where sever complications and decay of the spinal integrity can no longer be successfully treated. This device is moved along the back of the subject along the spinal points indicating the rear projection of each vertebrae. The sorbothane hemispheres 45 are in contact with the subject, and the device will be run as many times as necessary to determine if there are any deviations of the Cobb Angle, previously described in the specification, of one or more vertebrae and to what degree, this detection performed by micro-deviation shifts detected by the IMU/gyroscope 50. It will disclose a shift in the vertebrae laterally, front to back, or rotationally, and should provide an instant readout. In the event significant vertebral deviation is determine, that subject may be referred for more intense diagnosis and treatment. In the event that no deviation is determined, the subject may be cleared from further treatment. For mass pre-screening for scoliosis in a public setting, this device 10 is quick, harmless and quite efficient, having the capacity to indicate deviation to the nearest 1/100 of a degree.
A second embodiment of the deviation detection device 10, shown in
As shown in
In yet a third embodiment of the deviation detection device 10 used for diagnosing small diameter outer surface irregularities in pipes and beams, as shown in
As shown in
The circuit diagram shown in
While the deviation detection devices 10, in one or more embodiments, have been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
