Device for non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of articular and periarticular pathology
First Claim
1. A method of examining a patient for signs of disease or damage related to a joint defining an angle between at least two bones while permitting relative angular movement between said bones, said method including the steps of:
- (a) sensing acoustic signals emitted from said joint during said relative angular movement of said bones over a certain range of said angle while applying a resistance to said relative angular movement of said bones, and(b) obtaining an indication of the presence of disease or damage related to said joint from the sensed acoustic signals.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Arthritis and related diseases are diagnosed by recording sound from a joint moving against a predefined resistance or a controlled velocity, and correlating the acoustic amplitude and instantaneous frequency with the joint angle. A preferred apparatus includes an articulated restraint for receiving a limb, a hydraulic pump and flow control valve for resisting joint movement, a pressure gage for measuring the torque about the joint, a position sensor sensing the joint angle, a noise cancelling microphone or an accelerometer for sensing sound from the joint, an amplifier and filter for amplifying and filtering the acoustic signal from the microphone or accelerometer, a frequency-to-voltage converter and an amplitude detector for determining the instantaneous frequency and amplitude of the filtered acoustic signal, an analog-to-digital converter for obtaining simultaneous numerical samples of the instantaneous frequency, amplitude, and torque, and a microcomputer programmed to display and record the instantaneous frequency and amplitude as a function of the joint angle, measured by either a digital shaft encoder or a potentiometer.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of examining a patient for signs of disease or damage related to a joint defining an angle between at least two bones while permitting relative angular movement between said bones, said method including the steps of:
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(a) sensing acoustic signals emitted from said joint during said relative angular movement of said bones over a certain range of said angle while applying a resistance to said relative angular movement of said bones, and (b) obtaining an indication of the presence of disease or damage related to said joint from the sensed acoustic signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of examining a patient for signs of disease or damage related to a joint defining an angle between at least two bones while permitting relative angular movement between said bones, said method including the steps of:
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(a) sensing acoustic signals emitted from said joint during relative angular movement of said bones over a certain range of said angle, (b) determining the amplitudes of said acoustic signals, (c) determining the instantaneous frequencies of said acoustic signals, and (d) determining values of said angle during said movement, and (e) associating both the determined amplitudes and instantaneous frequency with said values of said angle to obtain an indication of the presence of disease or damage related to said joint. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for examining a patient for signs of disease or damage related to a joint defining an angle between at least two bones while permitting relative angular movement between said bones, said apparatus comprising, in combination,
means for sensing acoustic signals emitted from said joint during said relative angular movement of said bones over a certain range of said angle; -
means for determining the amplitudes of said acoustic signals; means for determining the instantaneous frequencies of said acoustic signals; means for sensing values of said angle which occur during said relative angular movement of said bones; and means for associating the amplitudes and the instantaneous frequencies with the sensed values of said angle such that the amplitude and instantaneous frequency of an acoustic signal is associated with the values of the angle at which the acoustic signal is emitted, whereby there is obtained an indication of the presence of disease or damage related to said joint. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification