QUANTIFIED DEEP TENDON REFLEX DEVICE, SECOND GENERATION
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abstract
The deep tendon reflex is a fundamental aspect of neurological examinations. The severity of and degree of recovery from a traumatic brain injury can be assessed by the myotatic stretch reflex. A hyperactive reflex response is correlated with spasticity, which can also be correlated with the degree of damage to the supraspinal input, in essence assessing the severity of traumatic brain injury. The myotatic stretch reflex is clinically evaluated by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) reflex scale (04); however, this scale lacks temporal data and may also vary in interpretation. The solution is a fully quantified evaluation system of the myotatic stretch reflex, whereby a patellar hammer's force input is based on original potential energy and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer quantifies the output. The MEMS accelerometer is attached to a set anchor point near the ankle. The reflex amplitude is based on the maximum acceleration of the reflex response. The quantified data collected from MEMS accelerometers are transmitted by a portable computer (i.e. a Pocket PC). This paper describes a device that quantitatively evaluates the reflex response using accelerometers and that demonstrates precision for reproducibility.
