Patterned visualization of electrophysiological data

• US 20060235483A1
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Original Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Inventors: Schwan, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,265,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6868 Brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0529 Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A system and method for graphically depicting a desired region for a treatment instrument with respect to a patient is disclosed. In performing the method, different types of electrophysiological data of the patient are obtained. The different types of electrophysiological data are combined to provide a graphical depiction that indicates the desired region for the treatment instrument.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system for graphically depicting a desired region for a treatment instrument with respect to a patient, comprising:

a processor that combines different types of electrophysiological data for providing a graphical depiction that indicates the desired region for the treatment instrument.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the different types of electrophysiological data is normalized.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the normalized data includes interpolated data and/or extrapolated data such that data within each of the different types of electrophysiological data corresponds to one another.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the combined electrophysiological data is color coded based on at least two colors, wherein a first color represents a desirable effect and a second color represents an undesirable effect.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the color codes include at least one additional color that represents neither a completely desirable nor a completely undesirable effect.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further directs the acquisition of the different types of electrophysiological data of the patient

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the acquisition of different types of electrophysiological data includes data points that identify each of the different types of electrophysiological data as desirable, undesirable or indifferent, wherein the identification is based on a clinical treatment success obtainable by placing the treatment instrument in a region corresponding to the data points.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the acquisition of different types of electrophysiological data includes data points that identify desirable, undesirable or indifferent data points, wherein the desirable and undesirable data points are identified as data points in which of all of the different types of electrophysiological data are in substantial agreement, and indifferent data points are identified as data points in which at least one of the different types of electrophysiological data is in disagreement with a corresponding data point of another of the different types of electrophysiological data.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising color codes that identify the desirable, undesirable and indifferent data points.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the color code includes at least three colors to identify the respective data points.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the acquisition of different types of electrophysiological data includes at least one of numeric data, binary data, textual data, graphical data, acoustical data, or any combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor further directs the application of a stimulation signal to a position within the patient and records measured and observed responses to the stimulation signal.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor further commands a strength of the stimulation signal to be altered.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the combined electrophysiological data is color coded based on at least two colors, wherein colors of the color code represent qualitative and quantitative meanings with respect to a clinical treatment success of the placing the treatment instrument in the desired region.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor applies a weighting coefficient to each of the different types of electrophysiological data, wherein each weighting coefficient affects the respective electrophysiological data'"'"'s contribution to the combined graphical depiction.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor applies thresholding to at least one of the different types of electrophysiological data, wherein thresholding includes designating a region to be completely desirable or completely undesirable based on a tendency of the region to be more desirable or more undesirable.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor applies leveling to the graphical depiction, wherein leveling includes introducing a non-linearity to at least one of the different types of electrophysiological data.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying the graphical depiction.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor overlays the graphical depiction with anatomical image data of the patient.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional pattern is overlaid with the anatomical image data.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor generates a two-dimensional patterned graph of the graphical depiction.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising a positioning means for positioning at least one electrode, said positioning means being communicatively coupled to and under the control of the processor.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the positioning means is a stereotactic arc system or a frameless holding arm.

24. A method for graphically depicting a desired region for a treatment instrument with respect to a patient, comprising the steps of:

combining different types of electrophysiological data for providing a graphical depiction that indicates the desired region for the treatment instrument.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of combining includes normalizing the different types of data.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of normalizing includes interpolating and/or extrapolating data such that data within each of the different types of electrophysiological data corresponds to one another.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of combining the different electrophysiological data includes color coding each of the different electrophysiological data based on at least two colors, wherein a first color represents a desirable effect and a second color represents an undesirable effect.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of applying a weighting coefficient to each of the different types of electrophysiological data, wherein each weighting coefficient affects the respective electrophysiological data'"'"'s contribution to the combined graphical depiction.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of overlaying the graphical depiction with anatomical image data of the patient.

30. A system for graphically depicting a desired region for a treatment instrument with respect to a patient, comprising:

a data acquisition module, wherein the data acquisition module receives as an input different types of electrophysiological data of the patient;

a storage medium for storing the different types of electrophysiological data; and

a data visualization module, wherein the data visualization module retrieves each of the different types of electrophysiological data from the storage medium and generates a graphical depiction that indicates the desired region for the treatment instrument.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the data visualization module includes a summarization control circuit, the summarization control circuit applying a weighting coefficient to each of the different types of electrophysiological data.