Objective determination of chronic pain in patients

• US 20060089551A1
• Filed: 10/27/2004
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert L. England
• Original Assignee: Robert L. England
• Inventors: England, Robert L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,462,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/411
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0051 by applying vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4824 Touch or pain perception evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for objectively determining if a patient suffers chronic pain by initially observing a multiplicity of persons who are free of chronic pain and subjecting them to a given pain stimulus. Radiofrequency (RF) emissions generated by the brains of the persons who are free of chronic pain while they are subjected to the pain stimulus are measured and a chart in the form of an average f-MRI image for all such persons is prepared which statistically reflects an average of RF emissions generated by the brains of the persons who are free of chronic pain while subjected to the pain stimulus. The same pain stimulus is then applied to the patient, RF emissions generated by a brain of the patient while the pain stimulus is applied are sensed, and the RF emissions from the patient'"'"'s brain are compared to the chart to determine if the RF emissions from the patient'"'"'s brain are statistically different from the approximately average RF emissions from the persons who are free of chronic pain on the chart. If so, it can be concluded without any conscious input from the patient that the patient suffers chronic pain. The method can be used to verify insurance or other compensation claims by persons who assert that they suffer chronic pain that might prevent them from performing certain functions such as work.

Claims

1. A method for determining the presence of chronic pain in a patient comprising applying a pain stimulus to a part of the body of the patient, observing changes in the brain caused by the pain stimulus, comparing observed brain changes to brain changes caused by the stimulus when applied to a plurality of persons who are free of chronic pain, and deciding that the patient suffers chronic pain if the brain changes observed in the patient while the stimulus is applied are judged to be statistically significantly different from the brain changes in the plurality of patients who are free of chronic pain.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the patient is judged to have chronic pain if brain changes observed in the patient are statistically significantly greater than brain changes observed in the person free of chronic pain.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein observing changes in the patient'"'"'s brain comprises observing physical emissions generated by the brain of the patient.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein observing physical emissions comprises observing radiofrequency (RF) emissions generated by the brain.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein observing changes in the RF emissions comprises observing an intensity of the RF emissions and comparing them to an intensity of RF emissions from the plurality of persons who are free of chronic pain.

6. A method according to claim 4 wherein observing RF emissions comprises observing a pattern of RF emissions generated by the patient'"'"'s brain, and wherein comparing comprises comparing the observed RF emission pattern in the patient'"'"'s brain with an RF emission pattern for the persons who are free of chronic pain.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein observing patterns of RF emissions includes observing patterns of RF emissions in the patient and in the plurality of patients who are free of chronic pain in prefrontal areas of the brains.

8. A method according to claim 4 wherein comparing comprises comparing f-MRIs of the patient with a standard f-MRI based on RF emissions by the brains of the persons who are free of chronic pain.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein observing changes in the brain of the patient includes generating an f-MRI of RF emissions by the patient'"'"'s brain.

10. A method according to claim 9 including preparing a standard f-MRI for RF emissions by the brains of persons who are free of chronic pain which is a statistical summary of the f-MRIs of the persons who are free of chronic pain, and wherein comparing comprises comparing the f-MRI of the patient with the standard f-MRI.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein comparing comprises processing the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the standard f-MRI in a computer and generating a computer output which quantifies a difference between the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the standard f-MRI.

12. A method according to claim 11 including judging if the difference between the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the standard f-MRI is statistically significant.

13. A method according to claim 12 including deciding that the patient has chronic pain if the difference between the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the standard f-MRI is statistically significant.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein comparing comprises preparing a standard chart of brain changes caused by the stimulus in the plurality of persons who are free of chronic pain, and comparing comprises comparing the changes in the patient'"'"'s brain with the standard chart.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein preparing the standard chart comprises comparing a standard f-MRI reflective of the brain changes in the plurality of persons who are free of chronic pain.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the standard f-MRI is an f-MRI of a statistically significant number of persons who are free of chronic pain.

17. A method according to claim 14 wherein observing the changes in the patient'"'"'s brain comprises preparing an f-MRI which reflects the changes in the patient'"'"'s brain, wherein preparing the standard chart includes preparing a standard f-MRI which is reflective of the changes in the brains of the plurality of persons who are free of chronic pain, and wherein deciding if the patient suffers chronic pain includes judging if a difference between the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the standard f-MRI is statistically significant.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein deciding if the patient suffers chronic pain includes analyzing the difference between the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the standard f-MRI with a computer.

19. A method according to claim 18 including generating a computer output which reflects the difference between the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the standard f-MRI.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the output of the computer is a numerical output.

21. A method according to claim 19 including evaluating the computer output and therewith judging if the patient is likely to have chronic pain.

22. A method according to claim 1 wherein applying the pain stimulus comprises applying at least one of vibrations, pressure, heat, cold and brushing to an external surface of the part of the patient'"'"'s body.

23. A method for determining if a patient has chronic pain by applying a pain stimulus to the patient, observing changes occurring in the patient'"'"'s brain in response to the applied pain stimulus, comparing observed changes in the patient'"'"'s brain to changes caused by the same stimulus in brains of persons without chronic pain, analyzing results from comparing the observed changes in the respective brains to determine if the difference is statistically significant and, if so, judging that the patient is likely to suffer chronic pain.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein applying comprises applying an external pain stimulus to the patient.

25. A method according to claim 23 including judging that the person is likely to suffer chronic pain if the results of analyzing show that changes in the patient'"'"'s brain caused by the applied stimulus are statistically significantly higher than changes in the brains of persons without chronic pain generated by the same stimulus to such persons.

26. A method according to claim 23 wherein comparing comprises preparing an f-MRI of radiofrequency (RF) emissions in the patient'"'"'s brain while the pain stimulus is applied, preparing a standard f-MRI for the persons without chronic pain by combining individual f-MRIs of changes in the brains of the persons without chronic pain so that the standard f-MRI is reflective of approximately an average change in the brains of the persons without chronic pain, and wherein analyzing comprises evaluating the difference between the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the standard f-MRI.

27. A method for verifying a claim for compensation made to a receiver of the claim resulting from an assertion of chronic pain by a patient comprising subjecting the patient to a pain stimulus, observing changes occurring in a brain of the patient in response to the pain stimulus, comparing the observed changes in the patient'"'"'s brain to changes in the brains of a multiplicity of persons who are free of chronic pain and who have been subjected to the same pain stimulus, determining if a difference between the changes occurring in the patient'"'"'s brain and the changes observed in the brains of the persons without chronic pain is statistically significant, and if the difference is statistically significant informing the receiver that the patient is judged to likely suffer chronic pain.

28. A method according to claim 27 including preparing f-MRIs reflective of changes occurring in the patient'"'"'s brain and of changes occurring in the brains of persons who are free of chronic pain, and wherein determining if the difference is statistically significant comprises comparing the f-MRIs.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein comparing f-MRIs comprises feeding the f-MRIs into a computer, and analyzing the difference between the patient'"'"'s f-MRI and the f-MRIs of the persons without chronic pain.

30. A method according to claim 28 including informing the receiver that the patient is likely to suffer chronic pain when the difference between the respective f-MRIs is statistically significant.

31. A method according to claim 27 including judging that the patient is likely to suffer chronic pain if the difference between the changes observed in the patient'"'"'s brain and the changes observed in the brains of the persons who are free of chronic pain shows that the changes observed in the patient'"'"'s brain are statistically significantly higher than the changes observed in the brains of the persons without chronic pain.

32. A method according to claim 27 wherein the receiver is an entity requested to compensate the patient.

33. A method according to claim 32 wherein the entity is an insurance company.

34. A method for processing an insurance claim submitted by a patient asserting to suffer chronic pain comprising observing a multiplicity of persons who are free of chronic pain while subjecting the persons to a given pain stimulus, measuring radiofrequency (RF) emissions generated by the brains of the persons who are free of chronic pain while the persons are subjected to the pain stimulus, preparing a chart which statistically reflects an average of RF emissions generated by the brains of the persons who are free of chronic pain while subjected to the pain stimulus, applying the given pain stimulus to the patient, sensing RF emissions generated by a brain of the patient while the given pain stimulus is applied, comparing the RF emissions from the patient'"'"'s brain with the chart and determining if the RF emissions from the patient'"'"'s brain are statistically different from the approximately average RF emissions from the persons who are free of chronic pain, and advising the insurer that the patient is likely to suffer chronic pain if the difference between the RF emissions from the patient'"'"'s brain and from the brains of persons who are free of chronic pain is statistically significant.