PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUES FOR PERIPHERAL NERVE FIELD STIMULATION

• US 20090281595A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Greenberg, Jordan J., Goetz, Steven M., Keacher, Jeffrey T., Houchins, Andrew H., King, Gary W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,498,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0553 Paddle shaped electrodes, e.g. for laminotomy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36021 for treatment of pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36185 Selection of the electrode configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means

Abstract

Peripheral nerve field stimulation (PNFS) delivered by a medical device to a patient may be programmed by specifying one or more characteristics of a stimulation field generated by the IMD to provide the PNFS. The characteristics of the stimulation field may include, for example, a direction of stimulation within the field, a breadth of the stimulation field, a focus of stimulation within the stimulation field, a depth of the stimulation field relative to a reference point, such as the epidermis of the patient, or a nerve fiber diameter selection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a stimulation field vector input from a user via a user interface, wherein the stimulation field vector input indicates a direction of electrical stimulation within a stimulation field that provides electrical stimulation in a region of a body of a patient; and

determining an electrode configuration for generating the stimulation field based on the stimulation field vector input, wherein the electrode configuration comprises a selection of at least two active electrodes from an electrode array and a polarity of each of the selected electrodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical stimulation comprises peripheral nerve field stimulation in the region of the body of the patient in which the patient experiences pain.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two active electrodes comprises an anode electrode and a cathode electrode, and determining the electrode configuration comprises determining an arrangement of the cathode electrode and the anode electrode within the electrode array.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrode array comprises at least one of electrodes coupled to a common lead body, electrodes coupled to a respective one of at least two lead bodies or electrodes coupled to a housing of an implantable medical device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one of the electrode configuration or the stimulation field vector input to an implantable medical device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulation field vector input comprises a vector beginning point and a vector end point, and wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises selecting a first active electrode from the electrode array based on the vector beginning point and selecting a second active electrode from the electrode array based on the vector end point.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a stimulation breadth input from the user that indicates a breadth of the stimulation field, wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input and the stimulation breadth input.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least two active electrodes comprise a first electrode and a second electrode, and wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining a distance between the first and second electrodes based on the stimulation breadth input.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving a stimulation focus input from the user that indicates a size of a stimulation focus of the stimulation field, wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input, the stimulation breadth input, and the stimulation focus input.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a stimulation depth input from the user that indicates a depth of the stimulation field relative to a reference point of the patient, wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input, the stimulation focus input, the stimulation breadth input, and the stimulation depth input.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving a stimulation depth input from the user that indicates a depth of the stimulation field relative to a reference point of the patient, wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input, the stimulation breadth input, and the stimulation depth input.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a stimulation focus input from the user that indicates a size of a stimulation focus of the stimulation field, wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input and the stimulation focus input.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining a number of cathode electrodes based on the stimulation focus input.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving a stimulation depth input from the user that indicates a depth of the stimulation field relative to a reference point of the patient, wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input, the stimulation focus input, and the stimulation depth input.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a stimulation depth input from the user that indicates a depth of the stimulation field relative to a reference point of the patient, wherein determining the electrode configuration comprises determining the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input and the stimulation depth input.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering electrical stimulation to the region according to the electrode configuration.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the electrode configuration to the user on a display.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining at least one of a stimulation amplitude or a breadth of stimulation based on a magnitude of the stimulation field vector input.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical stimulation comprises peripheral nerve field stimulation in the region of the body of the patient in which the patient experiences pain.

19. A system comprising:

a user interface; and

a processor that receives a stimulation field vector input from a user via the user interface, wherein the stimulation field vector input indicates a direction of electrical stimulation in a stimulation field that provides electrical stimulation in a region of a body of a patient, and determines an electrode configuration for generating the stimulation field based on the stimulation field vector input, wherein the electrode configuration comprises a selection of at least two active electrodes from an electrode array and a polarity of each of the selected electrodes.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first electrode comprises an anode electrode and the second electrode comprises a cathode electrode, and wherein the processor determines an arrangement of the cathode electrode and the anode electrode within the electrode array.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising a programmer, wherein the programmer comprises the user interface and the processor.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the programmer further comprises a telemetry module that transmits at least one of the electrode configuration or the stimulation field vector input to an implantable medical device.

24. The system of claim 19, further comprising a programmer and an implantable medical device, wherein the programmer comprises the user interface and the implantable medical device comprises the processor.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the electrode array comprises at least one of electrodes coupled to a common lead, electrodes coupled to a respective one of at least two lead bodies or electrodes coupled to a housing of an implantable medical device.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface comprises a touch screen configured to receive the stimulation field vector input from the user.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface comprises a display, and wherein the processor presents the electrode configuration to the user via the display.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor receives a stimulation breadth input from the user indicating a breadth of the stimulation field and determines the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input and the stimulation breadth input.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor receives a stimulation focus input from the user that indicates a size of a stimulation focus of the stimulation field and determines the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input, the stimulation breadth input, and the stimulation focus input.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor receives a stimulation depth input from the user that indicates a depth of the stimulation field relative to a reference point of the patient and determines the electrode configuration based on the stimulation field vector input and the stimulation depth input.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines at least one of a stimulation amplitude or a breadth of stimulation based on a magnitude of the stimulation field vector input.

32. A system comprising:

means for receiving a stimulation field vector input from a user via a user interface, wherein the stimulation field vector input indicates a direction of electrical stimulation within a stimulation field that provides electrical stimulation in a region of a body of a patient; and

means for determining an electrode configuration for generating the stimulation field based on the stimulation field vector input, wherein the electrode configuration comprises a selection of at least two active electrodes from an electrode array and a polarity of each of the selected electrodes.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the electrical stimulation comprises peripheral nerve field stimulation in the region of the body of the patient in which the patient experiences pain.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the at least two active electrodes comprises an anode electrode and a cathode electrode, and wherein the means for determining determines an arrangement of the cathode electrode and the anode electrode within the electrode array.

35. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause a processor to:

receive a stimulation field vector input from a user, wherein the stimulation field vector input indicates a direction of electrical stimulation within a stimulation field that provides electrical stimulation in a region of a body of a patient; and

determine an electrode configuration for generating the stimulation field in the region based on the stimulation field vector input, wherein the electrode configuration comprises a selection of at least two active electrodes from an electrode array and a polarity of each of the selected electrodes.