Tele-Monitoring and Tele-Rehabilitation of the Hand in Hemiplegic Patients: A Preliminary Study

Hemiplegia after stroke, one of the consequences of the acute loss of focal brain functions, is a syndrome clinically characterized by a deficit of voluntary motor activity in one-half of the body. Many studies highlight the benefits of rehabilitation treatments on the partial recovery of motor function and how the effects of these treatments are not lasting unless frequently stimulated by maintenance activities. This study describes a methodological approach, based on non-invasive technologies, to the quantitative evaluation of motor tasks defined in the MESUPES-Hand section, which could allow targeted and monitored stimulation of patients in a home environment, reducing or dilating new hospitalizations and further traditional rehabilitation treatments over time, and the reduction of healthcare costs. In particular, a 3D vision system is proposed, based on RGB-Depth optical sensors and Computer Vision techniques, to capture the trajectories of the fine movements of the hand and fingers during the execution of the motor tasks defined in the MESUPES-Hand section. From the 3D trajectories collected in real-time, the system estimates groups of specific functional parameters for each task to characterize the hand motor performance quantitatively and automatically assign objective scores as required by the standard evaluation criteria indicated by the MESUPES scale. Preliminary results suggest that the system detects quantitative and qualitative differences between hemiplegic and healthy hands: this is the necessary first step to automatically assess the hand motor function, progress, and changes, even in home environments jointly to remote rehabilitation programs.