Identification of cerebral infarction using bilateral photoplethysmography.

This article focuses on a novel screening technique for cerebral infarction using photoplethysmography (PPG) signals measured noninvasively from both index fingers. The study analyzed pulse wave features—Maximum Negative Amplitude (MNA) and Maximum Positive Amplitude (MPA)—from 100 subjects (50 cerebral infarction patients and 50 controls) and applied Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) to classify the groups, achieving recognition rates of 84% for MNA and 81% for MPA, with sensitivities of 80% and 72%, respectively. Findings indicate that PPG amplitude features, especially from the right index finger, reflect cerebrovascular abnormalities and may serve as a simple, cost-effective screening tool to complement existing imaging methods. Limitations include a relatively small sample size and lack of detailed clinical data, suggesting the need for further research to validate and refine this approach.