Californian researchers have developed an original, easy-to-use method for measuring gait parameters in young patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD):
- a gyroscope contained in a commercial smartphone and a specific application were used to measure the person’s movements in the three planes of space,
- 15 young DMD patients (aged 3 to 16) and 15 healthy subjects took part in the validation protocol, all in their usual living environment,
- two distinct algorithmic approaches (machine learning and deep learning) enabled us to detect significant differences in gait patterns between the two groups, and to do so earlier than by simple clinical observation.
This portable accelerometer can provide invaluable information on gait, not only at the time of diagnosis but also during follow-up.
