A new method for the evaluation of cervical dystonia
Hanife Karakaya1
, Zafer Colakoglu2, Ahmet Acarer3, Ahmet Ozkurt4
1Department of Neurology, Gümüşhane State Hospital, Gümüşhane, Türkiye
2Department of Neurology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Türkiye
3Department of Neurology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Türkiye
4Department of Electrical-Electronics Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University, Engineering Faculty, İzmir, Türkiye
Keywords: Cervical dystonia, kinect camera, Toronto Western Spasmodic, Torticollis Rating Scale, Tsui.
Abstract
Objectives: The study aimed to develop a measurement method that yielded objective data for the clinical assessment of cervical dystonia using a Kinect camera system.
Patients and methods: This double-blind, parallel-group method development study included 22 patients with cervical dystonia (3 males, 19 females; mean age: 47 years; range, 34 to 60 years) and 20 healthy individuals (13 females, 7 males; mean age: 32 years; age range, 22 to 65). Using cameras and a computer software, the head-neck postures of 40 healthy participants were recorded in the virtual environment. Using the device, 22 patients with cervical dystonia were examined both at rest and while moving with different parts of the body. Two different experts evaluated and scored the cases using the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) and the Tsui scale.
Results: A three-way comparison revealed interclass correlations between the coefficients of 0.799 (79.9%) and 0.784 (78.4%) for at rest and with movement, respectively. The two-way comparison of the experts revealed correlation coefficients of 0.717 (71.7%) and 0.692 (69.2%) for at rest and with movement, respectively. A three-way comparison of the device and Expert 1 and Expert 2 TWSTRS scores revealed interrater agreement values of 0.6 and 0.8 (good) and 0.6 and 0.8 (good) while at rest and with movement, respectively. A three-way comparison of the device and Expert 1 and Expert 2 Tsui scores revealed interrater agreement values of 0.6 and 0.8 (good) and 0.4 and 0.6 (moderate) while at rest and with movement, respectively.
Conclusion: The newly developed system was a sensitive tool for use in the kinematic evaluation of patients with cervical dystonia and could prove beneficial in diagnosis and treatment follow-up.
Cite this article as: Karakaya H, Colakoglu Z, Acarer A, Ozkurt A. A new method for the evaluation of cervical dystonia. Turk J Neurol 2025;31(1):53-61. doi: 10.55697/tnd.2025.257.
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Study design: Z.Ç., A.A.; Material preparation: A.K., H.K.; Data collection and analysis were performed: H.K. All authors contributed to the study conception and design. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.