Automatic Assessment of Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) in Multiple Sclerosis Using a Decision Tree

Abstract

The expanded disability status scale (EDSS) is frequently used to classify the patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We presented in this paper a novel method to automatically assess the EDSS score from posturologic data (center of pres-sure signals) using a decision tree. Two groups of participants (one for learning and the other for test) with EDSS rang-ing from 0 to 4.5 performed our balance experiment with eyes closed. Two linear measures (the length and the surface) and twelve non-linear measures (the recurrence rate, the Shannon entropy, the averaged diagonal line length and the trapping time for the position, the instantaneous velocity and the instantaneous acceleration of the center of pressure respectively) were calculated for all the participants. Several decision trees were constructed with learning data and tested with test data. By comparing clinical and estimated EDSS scores in the test group, we selected one decision tree with five measures which revealed a 75% of agreement. The results have signified that our tree model is able to auto-matically assess the EDSS scores and that it is possible to distinguish the EDSS scores by using linear and non-linear postural sway measures.