Detection of Spastic Cerebral Palsy Using Different Techniques in Infants

Abstract

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a complicated neurological condition in infants. CP refers to brain injuries that affect different body parts. It must be detected in early childhood as early detection can help to improve outcomes through therapy-based interventions. Generally, pediatricians detect CP based on the physical movements of infants, but sometimes, it becomes difficult to detect this way at the early stages. The absence of “fidgety movement” is a strong predictor to detect CP using the combination of video and sensors. There are four kinds of cerebral palsy in which spastic cerebral palsy is very common in infants. It refers to muscles-related problems like muscle stiffness and muscle weakness. Spastic cerebral palsy is detected by measuring the angle between joints or other parameters like stride length, leg length, age, and cadence to name a few. Spastic cerebral palsy is typically detected using surface electromyography (sEMG), using sensors, namely accelerometer, inertial measurement unit (IMU), or using machine learning techniques. sEMG can be used only for recording the electrical activity of muscle tissues or visual representation. Impulsive extreme movements of lower and upper limbs are being observed using accelerometer, but it is not helpful to get postural information. Wearable IMU sensor consists of three sensors, namely accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer. IMU records movement facts in three dimensions at numerous samples per second and forms any continuous hours without any mediation. This paper aims to study various conventional and modern techniques to examine CP and compares them based on various parameters. After a thorough study of various methods, it was found that IMU sensors provide the best way to detect CP in the case of infants as wireless IMU is a low cost, non-invasive, and easy to wear solution. They also provide 360° measurements through three sensors each on three axes which provides more accuracy in comparison with any other method.