The Accuracy of a Screening System for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Hand Drawing.

Takafumi Koyama,Akimoto Nimura,Koji Fujita,Takuro Watanabe,Yuta Sugiura,Eriku Yamada

doi:10.3390/jcm10194437

Abstract

When carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), an entrapment neuropathy, becomes severe, thumb motion is reduced, which affects manual dexterity, such as causing difficulties in writing; therefore, early detection of CTS by screening is desirable. To develop a screening method for CTS, we developed a tablet app to measure the stylus trajectory and pressure of the stylus tip when drawing a spiral on a tablet screen using a stylus and, subsequently, used these data as training data to predict the classification of participants as non-CTS or CTS patients using a support vector machine. We recruited 33 patients with CTS and 31 healthy volunteers for this study. From our results, non-CTS and CTS were classified by our screening method with 82% sensitivity and 71% specificity. Our CTS screening method can facilitate the screening for potential patients with CTS and provide a quantitative assessment of CTS.

Highlights

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common entrapment neuropathies [1].The initial symptoms are numbness and sensory disturbance from the thumb to the ring finger; because these subjective symptoms do not significantly disrupt their daily activities, the patients do not seek medical attention [2]
Mobile apps [5,6] have been developed to serve as a simple and objective screening tool for CTS. These apps have focused on the failure of thumb motion caused by atrophy of the thenar muscle, which affects manual dexterity, causing patients to be aware of associated symptoms, such as difficulties in fastening their buttons and writing [7]
We hypothesized that sensory disturbance and the lack of manual dexterity, resulting from CTS, affect stylus manipulation, and we developed a screening method for CTS, focusing on drawing motion, using a tablet and stylus and verified for its accuracy (Figure 1a)

Summary

Introduction

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common entrapment neuropathies [1].The initial symptoms are numbness and sensory disturbance from the thumb to the ring finger; because these subjective symptoms do not significantly disrupt their daily activities, the patients do not seek medical attention [2]. As the severity of CTS increases, there is a possible failure of thumb motion, and the patients undergo carpal tunnel release surgery [3], which increases their physical burden. Mobile apps [5,6] have been developed to serve as a simple and objective screening tool for CTS. These apps have focused on the failure of thumb motion caused by atrophy of the thenar muscle, which affects manual dexterity, causing patients to be aware of associated symptoms, such as difficulties in fastening their buttons and writing [7]. Writing plays an important role in our daily lives; it is significantly impacted by the failure of the thumb motion

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Discussion

Conclusion