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.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims the filing benefit of co-pending PCT Patent Application No. PCT / US2010 / 022939, filed on Feb. 2, 2010, and is a Continuation-In-Part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 364,267, filed on Feb. 2, 2009, the disclosures of both applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to devices and methods for evaluating a physiological condition of a musculoskeletal system and, more particularly, to evaluating the physiological condition of bodily joints.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]In humans, the knee joint 50, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, is functionally controlled by a mechanical system governed by three unique types of forces: (1) active forces resulting from motion, such as those resulting from a muscle flexing or relaxing; (2) constraining forces that constrain motion, such as those resulting from ligaments being in tension; and ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a device and method for diagnosing muscle and bone injuries using ultrasonic technology. The device includes a flexible housing that supports an ultrasonic transducer and a positional localizer for tracking movement. The device is placed near the affected area and the ultrasonic data and movement data are transmitted to a data analyzer for diagnosis. The invention also includes a 3D model reconstruction module that creates a patient-specific model from structural data and a kinematic tracking module that acquires movement data while the affected area is articulated. The vibration data generated by articulation is also received and analyzed by an intelligent diagnosis module for determining injury type. The invention allows for accurate and early diagnosis of muscle and bone injuries.

Problems solved by technology

However, microphones and stethoscopes cannot reliably detect frequencies, especially those experiencing strong interference from noise.

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