AI tool for Parkinson's disease evaluation approved for use in China

WUHAN -- MoDAS, an artificial intelligence-based software system, has been approved for use in Central China's Hubei province to help assess the motor symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease.

Neurologists commonly use the MDS-UPDRS scale to evaluate Parkinson's disease patients, observing more than 30 assessment items and diagnosing based on experience. The precision of Parkinson's disease evaluation remains constrained by subjectivity and inter-examiner variability.

MoDAS can collect image data from Parkinson's disease patients at any time, replacing time-consuming manual observation by doctors. In clinical trials in Shanghai and Guangzhou, MoDAS analysis results were generally consistent with diagnoses made by doctors, and differences between the software group and the human expert group were within an acceptable deviation range.

Chen Hansheng, a well-known Chinese calligraphy, painting and sculpture artist, was recently invited to trial the system in Wuhan. It took about half an hour to collect images and 40 minutes for MoDAS to process them. Chen said there were 16 assessment items, and that the image collection was easy to complete.

NervTex, the company that developed MoDAS, said the system will be provided to comprehensive hospitals, community medical organizations and family doctor practices. Medical professionals can use mobile equipment such as tablet computers to take photos of Parkinson's disease patients at or close to their homes.

Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder that initially causes tremors in one hand, stiffness, or slowing of movement. There are about 4 million Parkinson's disease patients in China, and about 1.7 percent of Chinese people over the age of 65 are diagnosed with the disease.