Method and system for distinguishing nociceptive pain from neuropathic pain

• US 8,549,015 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Giancarlo Barolat
• Original Assignee: Giancarlo Barolat
• Inventors: Barolat, Giancarlo
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US13/288,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20120290216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 707/600, 707/603, 707/607, 707/705, 707/708, 707/721, 707/723, 707/748, 707/749, 707/754, 707/758, 707/941, 707/999.107, 705/1.1, 705/2, 705/3, 705/7.32
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method of distinguishing nociceptive pain from neuropathic pain includes providing a series of questions for answering by the patient. Each of the answers by the patient are given a numerical value within a nociceptive pain category and a neuropathic pain category. The values within the two categories are then summed, with the resultants potentially modified using a series of one or more equations. The ratio of the neuropathic pain to the nociceptive pain is then calculated. The ratio provides a value for the physician to diagnose the patient as suffering from nociceptive pain, neuropathic pain, or both nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain. Embodiments of the present invention include a system for assisting a physician to identify whether a patient'"'"'s pain is nociceptive pain or neuropathic pain.

Claims

1. A method of distinguishing nociceptive pain from neuropathic pain in a patient, comprising;

(a) providing a plurality of questions wherein at least a first question and a second question of the plurality of questions are directed to aspects of pain experienced by the patient, wherein each of the first question and the second question have at least one corresponding answer;

(b) obtaining at least one answer to the first question and at least one answer to the second question;

(c) correlating at least two numerical values to each answer of the first question, and correlating at least two numerical values to each answer of the second question, a first numerical value of the two numerical values corresponding to a nociceptive pain category and a second numerical value of the two numerical values corresponding to a neuropathic pain category;

(d) summing the numerical values within the nociceptive pain category to determine a raw nociceptive pain score, and summing the numerical values within the neuropathic pain category to determine a raw neuropathic pain score;

(e) multiplying the raw nociceptive pain score by a first multiplier to determine a partial nociceptive pain score, and multiplying the raw neuropathic pain score by a second multiplier to determine a partial neuropathic pain score;

(f) dividing the partial neuropathic pain score by the partial nociceptive pain score to determine a final ratio; and

(g) comparing the final ratio with a standard for assessing whether the patient is suffering from nociceptive pain and/or neuropathic pain;

wherein one or more of said providing, obtaining, correlating, summing, multiplying, and dividing steps are performed on a computation device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the questions are substantially directed to at least one of nociceptive pain indicators and neuropathic pain indicators.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the questions are directed to one or more of (a) upper extremity pain, (b) lower extremity pain, (c) surgery other than spine surgery, and (d) spine surgery.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking at least one answer prior to the dividing step, wherein if the answer meets a first condition, then a mathematical adjustment is made to one or more of the partial nociceptive pain score and the partial neuropathic pain score prior to the dividing step.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of said providing, obtaining, correlating, summing, multiplying, and dividing steps are performed using a server interconnected to a network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing a recommendation for treatment of the patient.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising comparing one or more of the answers to the plurality of questions to a database.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a recommendation for treatment of the patient.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising comparing the final ratio to a database.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising comparing one or more of the answers to the plurality of questions to a database.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a recommendation for treatment of the patient.

12. A system for distinguishing nociceptive pain from neuropathic pain in a patient, comprising:

a computer device including;

a memory including a question access module, the question access module operable to access a listing of a plurality of questions wherein at least a first question and a second question of the plurality of questions are directed to aspects of pain experienced by the patient, wherein each of the first question and the second question have at least one corresponding answer;

a display operable to display the plurality of questions; and

an input device operable to receive at least one answer to the first question and at least one answer to the second question;

wherein the memory includes a correlating module operable to correlate at least two numerical values to each answer of the first question, and correlate at least two numerical values to each answer of the second question, a first numerical value of the two numerical values corresponding to a nociceptive pain category and a second numerical value of the two numerical values corresponding to a neuropathic pain category;

wherein the memory includes a math module operable to;

(a) sum the numerical values with the nociceptive pain category to determine a raw nociceptive pain score, and sum the numerical values within the neuropathic pain category to determine a raw neuropathic pain score;

(b) multiply the raw nociceptive score by a first multiplier to determine a partial nociceptive pain score, and multiply the raw neuropathic pain score by a second multiplier to determine a partial neuropathic pain score;

(c) divide the partial neuropathic pain score by the partial nociceptive pain score to determine a final ratio; and

(d) compare the final ratio with a standard to assess whether the patient is suffering from nociceptive pain and/or neuropathic pain;

 

the memory including an output module operable to generate an output including a predictive indicator as to whether the patient is suffering from nociceptive pain and/or neuropathic pain.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a database of information operatively associated with the computer, the database including a plurality of answers of a second patient.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory comprises a comparison module in communication with the database and operable to compare the patient'"'"'s at least one answer to the first question and the at least one answer to the second question to a corresponding answer to the first question and a corresponding answer to the second question of the second patient.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory includes a checking module operable to check at least one answer and mathematically adjust one or more of the partial nociceptive pain score and the partial neuropathic pain score.

16. A method of distinguishing nociceptive pain from neuropathic pain in a patient, comprising:

(a) providing at least a first question and a second question directed to aspects of pain experienced by the patient, wherein each of the first and second questions have at least one corresponding answer;

(b) obtaining at least one answer to the first and second questions;

(c) correlating at least two numerical values to at least one of the answers to the first and second questions, a first numerical value of the two numerical values corresponding to a nociceptive pain category and a second numerical value of the two numerical values corresponding to a neuropathic pain category; and

(d) performing a plurality of mathematical steps including summing the values in the nociceptive and neuropathic pain categories to obtain a pair of resultants, multiplying the pair of resultants by at least one coefficient to obtain a pair of modified resultants, and then dividing at least one of the modified resultants by the other to obtain a final resultant;

wherein a relative value of the final resultant is indicative of one or more of nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain; and

wherein one or more of said providing, obtaining, correlating, summing, multiplying, and dividing steps are performed on a computation device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more of said providing, obtaining, correlating, and performing steps are conducted using a server interconnected to a network.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising comparing one or more of the answers to the plurality of questions to a database and providing a recommendation for treatment of the patient.