Wavelet Analysis Increases Sensitivity and Specificity of Spirography for Ambulatory Tremor Discrimination

The most frequently seen types of tremor are essential (ET) and parkinsonian tremor (PT) and in some patients clinical characteristics of these tremor types overlap. It is vital to distinguish between these two types of tremor in order to reach the right diagnosis and select the appropriate treatment. One of the widely used methods for tremor detection and discrimination, appropriate for a quick ambulatory assessment of the patient's tremor, is spirography. With spirography, the tremor can be observed through several parameters, for example, tremor spectrum and spiral image, which give useful information for its identification. Standard spirography parameters of ET and PT can overlap; therefore, these parameters are often not enough for identification of the observed tremor. To increase the specificity and sensitivity of spirography for PT, ET and normal, tremor free controls, we used the wavelet analysis with Morlet wavelet transform. To facilitate analysis, comparison, storage, and retrieval of spirography tremor records we also developed an integrated computer assisted spirography system that increases the convenience of outpatient tremor identification and follow-up. We conclude that wavelet analysis of spirography records increases the sensitivity and specificity of the method, thus, facilitating the distinction between ET and PT.