Huspatrac – a method of measuring and visualizing human space trails of movements and accelerations of head, neck and body

Authors

Prof.Dr.med. Claus F. Claussen (Bad Kissingen, Germany)

Proceedings

XXX Congress of the NES - Oporto - Portugal

Topics

Neurootology
Equilibrium
Equilibriometric tests
Neurootology
Equilibrium
Neurootology
Neurootology
Propioceptive
Neurootology
Propioceptive
Propioceptive tests
Sensology

Keywords

Accelerations of body, Accelerations of head, Accelerations of neck, Computerized ultrasonographic craniocorpography, Craniocorpography, Craniocorpography stepping test, Equilibrium, Human space movements, Huspatrac, Movement patterns, Tinnitus topodiagnostic, Ultrasound, Vestibulospinal test.

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Abstract

Since many years we are using the local positioning system of ultrasound computer cranio-corpo-graphy (US-COMP-CCG). The patient is carrying a helmet with 2 ultrasound markers and a shoulder fixation with 2 other ultrasound markers. A computer unit is triggering the ultrasound impulses. Backwardly and above the patient is the ultrsound receiver unit containing several ultrasound microphones and data processors receiving the sound traces from the head and the shoulders. The signals received are triggered by as well as sent to the computer unit. The computer unit calculates the spatial positions of all the 4 ultrasound markers. It is instantly displaying a graph with all the 4 head and shoulder movement traces on the screen. The computer program within the PC is handling the protocol, the procedure and the movement analysis online.
Since a few years we regularly apply HUSPATRAC for 4 important vestibular spinal tests, i.e., Romberg’s standing test, Unterberger’s and Fukuda’s stepping test and the 2 voluntary head movement tests NEFERT and LOLAVHESLIT with extension, rotation, pitch and roll.
Computerised cranio-corpo-graphy , i.e. HUSPATRAC, provides a reliable, reproducible and simple method of 4-D charting the patient’s stepping and standing tests. The resultant radar-like image of the patient’s pattern can be read and interpreted easily by the average physician. 4-D Computer processing , i.e. 3-D mobile spatial plots, 2-D space-time plots, single step cycle analysis, histograms of vectors, Fourier-analysis etc. of the resultant data enables one to set broad diagnostic parameters, and permits one to distinguish between lesions at various levels in the vestibular as well as in the cns- system. Further, the method of HUSPATRAC shows promise as a cheap, easily applicable serial monitor for drug trials, as it is non-invasive and more physiological than other methods in current use, e. g., electronystagmography etc.. A detailed analysis of other CCG parameters may enlarge its scope as a sensitive tool for psychiatric disorders like depression, epilepsia, parkinsonism, schizophrenia, dementia (Alzheimer etc.), hysteria, malignering etc. .
Objective Craniocorpographic expressional components of HUSPATRAC for instance are also pointing towards sensorimotor lesions in tinnitus.