SYSTEM AND METHOD TO AUTOMATICALLY INCORPORATE LEAD INFORMATION FROM MEDICAL IMAGE INTO PROGRAMMABLE USER INTERFACE

• US 20150119958A1
• Filed: 10/30/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Zottola, Dennis, Li, Yue
• Granted Patent: US 9,333,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4887 Locating particular structures in or on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/506 for diagnosis of nerves
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3606 adapted for a particular treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36128 Control systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36182 Direction of the electrical field, e.g. with sleeve around stimulating electrode
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36185 Selection of the electrode configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means

Abstract

An external control system for use with a neurostimulation device and at least one neurostimulation lead implanted within the tissue of a patient is provided. The external control system comprises a user interface configured for receiving input from a user, output circuitry configured for communicating with the neurostimulation device, and control/processing circuitry configured for receiving a medical image of the neurostimulation lead(s) relative to an anatomical structure, processing the medical image to detect the location of the neurostimulation lead(s) relative to the anatomical structure, generating a set of stimulation parameters based on the user input and the detected location of the neurostimulation lead(s) relative to the anatomical structure, and directing the output circuitry to transmit instructions to the neurostimulation device to convey electrical stimulation energy in accordance with the stimulation parameter set.

Claims

1. An external control system for use with a neurostimulation device and at least one neurostimulation lead implanted within the tissue of a patient, comprising:

a user interface configured for receiving input from a user;

output circuitry configured for communicating with the neurostimulation device; and

control/processing circuitry configured for receiving a medical image of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to an anatomical structure, processing the medical image to detect the location of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to the anatomical structure, generating a set of stimulation parameters based on the user input and the detected location of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to the anatomical structure, and directing the output circuitry to transmit instructions to the neurostimulation device to convey electrical stimulation energy in accordance with the stimulation parameter set.

2. The external control system of claim 1, wherein the control/processing circuitry is configured for directing the user interface to display a graphical representation of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to a representation of the anatomical structure.

3. The external control system of claim 2, wherein the representation of the anatomical structure is a graphical model of the anatomical structure.

4. The external control system of claim 2, wherein the representation of the anatomical structure is the medical image of the anatomical structure.

5. The external control system of claim 1, wherein the anatomical structure is a spinal column of the patient.

6. The external control system of claim 5, wherein the location of at least one neurostimulation lead relative to the spinal column is a longitudinal location of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to the spinal column.

7. The external control system of claim 6, wherein the longitudinal location of the at least one neurostimulation lead is a linear interpolation between two adjacent vertebral segments of the spinal column, and the control processing circuitry is configured for locating the graphical representation of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to two corresponding adjacent vertebral segments of the representation of the spinal column based on the linear interpolation between the two adjacent vertebral segments of the spinal column.

8. The external control system of claim 5, wherein the control/processing circuitry is configured for processing the medical image to detect the angle of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to a midline of the spinal column, and for generating the stimulation parameter set further based on the detect angle of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to the spinal column.

10. The external control system of claim 1, wherein the medical image is one of a fluoroscopic image and a static X-ray image.

11. The external control system of claim 1, wherein the control/processing circuitry is configured for processing the medical image using an image segmentation and pattern recognition technique.

12. The external control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a directional control device for receiving the user input, the control/processing circuitry is configured for generating a plurality of stimulation parameters that define different electrode combinations based on the user input into the directional control device and the detected location of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to the anatomical structure, and directing the output circuitry to transmit instructions to the neurostimulation device to deliver electrical stimulation energy in accordance with the stimulation parameter sets.

13. The external control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured for displaying the medical image, and allowing the user to define an anatomical landmark on the anatomical structure, and wherein the control/processing circuitry is configured for detecting the location of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to the anatomical landmark, and for generating the stimulation parameter set based on the detected location of the at least one neurostimulation lead relative to the anatomical landmark.

14. The external control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one neurostimulation leads carries a plurality of electrodes, and wherein the control/processing circuitry is configured for determining the locations of the electrodes relative to each other, and for generating the stimulation parameter set further based on the determined electrode locations.

15. The external control system of claim 14, further comprising memory configured for storing a look-up table of different types of neurostimulation leads and corresponding electrode spacings for the different types of neurostimulation leads, wherein the control/processing circuitry is configured for processing the medical image to identify the type of the at least one neurostimulation lead, acquiring the electrode spacings corresponding to the identified type in the look-up table, and determining the locations of the electrodes based on the acquired electrode spacings.

16. The external control system of claim 1, further comprising a housing containing the user interface, the at least one processor, and the output circuitry.

17. The external control system of claim 1, wherein the output circuitry comprises telemetry circuitry.

9. The external control system of dam 1, wherein the at least one neurostimulation lead comprises a plurality of neurostimulation leads, and the control/processing circuitry is configured for processing the medical image to detect the locations of the neurostimulation leads relative to each other, and for generating the stimulation parameter set further based on the detected relative locations of the neurostimulation leads.