Development of a portable microcomputer-controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) system for the paralyzed upper extermities

为了恢复脑卒中和脊髓损伤患者瘫痪的上肢运动功能，研制了一种可编程的多通道FES系统。该系统由一台8位微机、3路a /D和16路D/ a转换器组成。此外，还开发了由个人计算机（NEC LT-50）组成的增产数据生成系统（SDC系统）。控制瘫痪上肢或下肢的标准刺激数据由正常受试者日常生活活动运动时的综合肌电数据生成，并存储在SDC系统的记忆中。通过SDV系统的键盘将单个肌肉的最大和阈值刺激电压输入到标准刺激数据中，自动生成每位患者的刺激数据，并发送到便携式FES系统的存储器中。该方法实现了便携式FES系统在各种类型肢体瘫痪的运动功能恢复中的多功能应用。此外，对于非常复杂的多关节系统，如瘫痪的上肢，C4四肢瘫痪，该系统可以轻松控制，可靠性高。本便携式FES系统应用于2例C4四肢瘫痪患者的上肢瘫痪。患者吸气和呼气作为一种意志控制指令，用于选择和执行控制上肢运动的刺激数据。通过使用该系统，患者可以通过上肢进行一些日常生活活动，如喝罐装果汁、刷牙、化妆等。因此，我们开发的便携式FES系统是恢复上肢运动神经元障碍引起的瘫痪运动功能的有力手段。

A prograble multi-channel FES system was developed in order to restore the motor dunction of the paralyzed upper extermities in stroke and spinal cord injury patients. The system consisted of a 8 bit microcomputer and 3 channels of A/D and 16 channels of D/A converters. In addition, a stimulation data crteating system (SDC system) consisting of a personal computer (NEC LT-50) was also developed. Standard stimulation data for controlling the paralyzed upper or lower extrmities were created from integrated EMG data during motion for activities of daily living in normal subjects and were stored in the memory of SDC system. Stimulation data for each patient were automatically created by inputting the maximum and threshold stimulating voltages of indevidual muscles to the standard stimulation data through a key board of SDV system and were sent to the memoty of the portable FES system. This method realized versatile usage of the portable FES system for restoration of motor function in various types of paralysis of the extremities. Furthermore, a very complicated multi-joint system with many degress of feedom such as the paralyzed upper extermities 14 C4 quadriplegics could be easily controlled biwh high reliability by this system.This portable FES system was applied to the paralyzed upper extremities of two C4 quadriplegic patients. Inspiration and expiration of the patient were utilized as a volitional control command for selection and execution of stimulation data for controlling motions of the upper extremities. By using this system, patients could perform some kinds of activities of daily living by the upper extremities such as drinking a canned juice, brushing their teeth, make-up her face and so on. Thus, is was founs that this portable FES system which we developed was s powerfull means for restoring motor function of the paralyzed upper extremities induced by upper motor nueron disorders.