Noninvasive diagnostic system

Abstract

A device for acquiring data and diagnosing a musculoskeletal injury. The device includes a semi-flexible housing, at least one ultrasonic transducer, a positional localizer, and a transmission system. The semi-flexible housing is positioned proximate a portion of the musculoskeletal system of a patient and supports the at least one ultrasonic transducer and the positional localizer. The at least one ultrasonic transducer is configured to acquire an ultrasonic data indicative of a bone surface. The positional localizer is positioned at a select location relative to the at least one ultrasonic transducer and tracks movement of the housing. The transmission system transmits the ultrasonic data of the at least one ultrasonic transducer and the movement data of the positional localizer to a data analyzer for analysis and diagnosis.

1 . A device for acquiring data and diagnosing a musculoskeletal injury, the device comprising:
 a semi-flexible housing configured to be positioned proximate a portion of the musculoskeletal system of a patient;   at least one ultrasonic transducer operably coupled to the housing and configured to acquire an ultrasonic data indicative of a bone surface;   a positional localizer operably coupled to the housing at a select location relative to the at least one ultrasonic transducer, the positional localizer configured to track movement of the housing; and   a transmission system operably coupled to the housing and configured to transmit the ultrasonic data from the at least one ultrasonic transducer and the movement data from the positional localizer to a data analyzer for analysis and diagnosis.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device is a brace configured to surround the portion of the musculoskeletal system for diagnosis. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the brace is a knee brace for diagnosing a knee injury, the knee brace further comprising:
 a first ultrasonic transducer positioned proximate the distal femur; and   a second ultrasonic transducer positioned proximate the proximal tibia.   
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the first ultrasonic transducer, the second ultrasonic transducer, or both is comprised of an individual transducer tracking unit. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the first ultrasonic transducer, the second ultrasonic transducer, or both is comprised of an inter-transducer mechanical link unit. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the first ultrasonic transducer, the second ultrasonic transducer, or both is comprised of a rotating transducer unit. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the positional localizer is an optical sensor device, an inertial measurement unit device, an ultra-wide band sensor device, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a vibrational sensor operably coupled to the housing and configured to acquire a vibration signal generated during movement of the portion of the musculoskeletal system.   
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the vibrational sensor comprises at least one accelerometer. 
     
     
         10 . A method of diagnosing a musculoskeletal injury, the method comprising:
 creating a 3D model of a portion of the musculoskeletal system of a patient;   acquiring a feature data with a sensor positioned proximate the portion of the musculoskeletal system while the portion is articulated;   comparing, with a neural network, the acquired feature data with a database of feature data, wherein the database of feature data includes a dataset representative of the musculoskeletal injury; and   returning a diagnosis based on the comparing.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 positioning a sensor proximate the portion of the musculoskeletal system;   operating the sensor to acquire the feature data; and   transferring the acquired feature data to the neural network.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sensor is an ultrasound transducer and the feature data includes an ultrasonic signal indicative of a bone surface, the method further comprising:
 tracking a position of the ultrasound transducer relative to the portion of the musculoskeletal system.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , where creating a 3D model further comprises:
 acquiring structural data indicative of a surface of a bone within the portion of the musculoskeletal system; and   morphing a general bone model in accordance with the structural data.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the structural data includes an ultrasonic signal, a computerized tomography data, a fluoroscopy data, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the feature data includes a vibrational data, a kinematic data, a contact force data, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the feature data comprises the vibrational data and the kinematic data, the vibrational data being time-synchronized with the kinematic data. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein comparing the acquired feature data further comprises:
 training the neural network with a plurality of datasets, wherein at least one of the plurality of datasets is the dataset representative of the musculoskeletal injury.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the feature data includes a shear measurement, at least one Euler angle, a translational component, a force data, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 displaying the returned diagnosis, the 3D model, the acquired feature data, or a combination thereof on a user interface.   
     
     
         20 . A diagnostic system for diagnosing a musculoskeletal injury, the diagnostic system comprising:
 a 3D model reconstruction module configured to acquire a structural data indicative of a bone surface within a portion of the musculoskeletal system of a patient and to construct a patient-specific model from the structural data;   a kinematics tracking module configured to acquire a movement data while the portion of the musculoskeletal system is articulated;   a vibroarthography module configured to acquire a vibration data generated during the articulation; and   an intelligent diagnosis module configured to receive and analyze the structural data, the movement data, and the vibration data and to determine an injury type from the analysis.   
     
     
         21 . The diagnostic system of  claim 20 , wherein the 3D model reconstruction module further comprises:
 an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire an ultrasonic signal indicative of the bone surface;   a position sensor having a select location relative to the ultrasound transducer, the position sensor configured to track movement of the portion of the musculoskeletal system; and   a statistical bone atlas comprising a plurality of bone models, wherein at least one of the plurality of bone models is morphed in accordance with the ultrasonic signal.   
     
     
         22 . The diagnostic system of  claim 20 , wherein the kinematics tracking module further comprises:
 a brace configured to be positioned proximate the portion of the musculoskeletal system;   at least one ultrasonic transducer operably coupled to the brace and configured to acquire an ultrasonic data indicative of the bone surface;   a positional localizer operably coupled to the brace at a select location relative to the at least one ultrasonic transducer, the positional localizer configured to track movement of the brace; and   a transmission system operably coupled to the brace and configured to transmit the ultrasonic data from the at least one ultrasonic transducer and the movement data from the positional localizer to the intelligent diagnosis module.   
     
     
         23 . The diagnostic system of  claim 20 , wherein the vibroarthography module further comprises:
 at least one vibrational sensor positioned proximate the portion of the musculoskeletal system; and   a transmission system configured to transmit the vibration data from the at least one vibrational sensor to the intelligent diagnosis module.   
     
     
         24 . The diagnostic system of  claim 20 , wherein the intelligent diagnosis module further comprises:
 a neural network configured to compare the movement data, the vibration data, or both to a database comprising of movement, vibrational, and injury data, wherein the database includes the movement data or the vibration data and an associated musculoskeletal injury type;   at least one transformation configured to transfer an acquired data to a virtual data; and   a statistical atlas comprising a plurality of bone models, wherein at least one of the plurality of bone models is morphed in accordance with the structural data to construct the patient-specific model.   
     
     
         25 . The diagnostic system of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 a contact force module configured to acquire a pressure data while the portion of the musculoskeletal system is articulated.   
     
     
         26 . The diagnostic system of  claim 25 , wherein the contract for module comprises:
 a shoe insole configured to be positioned on a foot of a patient;   a plurality of pressure sensors operably coupled to the shoe insole and arranged in a pattern; and   a transmission system operably coupled to the shoe insole and configured to transmit the pressure data from the plurality of pressure sensors to the intelligent diagnosis module.