Clinician programmer system and method for calculating volumes of activation

• US 8,831,731 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IntElect Medical, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: IntElect Medical, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Blum, David Arthur, Carlton, Keith, Greszler, Alan, Kokones, Scott, Sparks, Troy
• Primary Examiner(s): Kahelin, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAIRCHILD, MALLIKA DIPAYAN
• Application Number:
  US12/454,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 607/30, 607/45, 607/46, 607/59, 607/69
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/104 Modelling the effect of the tool, e.g. the effect of an implanted prosthesis or for predicting the effect of ablation or burring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/103 Cranial plugs for access to brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36128 Control systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A system and method for providing a volume of activation (VOA) of a stimulation electrode leadwire may include a processor that calculates a VOA for each of a plurality of sets of parameter settings of the leadwire, stores in a database each of the calculated VOAs in association with the respective set of parameter settings for which it was calculated, obtains a set of parameter settings of the leadwire for a stimulation, and determines a VOA for the obtained set of parameter settings based on the stored VOAs.

Claims

1. A method of a volume of activation (VOA) providing machine to provide a VOA of a stimulation electrode leadwire, comprising:

calculating, by a processor of the machine, a VOA for each of a plurality of sets of parameter settings of the leadwire;

storing in a database each of the calculated VOAs in association with the respective set of parameter settings for which it was calculated;

obtaining a further set of parameter settings of the leadwire;

determining, by the processor, a VOA that is different than the stored VOAs and that, based on the stored VOAs, is estimated to result from the obtained set of parameter settings; and

outputting, by the machine, the determined VOA.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the further set of parameter settings includes a plurality of sets of parameter settings for a therapy that includes performing a stimulation using the plurality of sets in a sequence that is applied cyclically to the leadwire, different ones of the sets applied at different pulses of the cyclically applied sequence;

the calculating of the VOA includes calculating a respective VOA for each of the obtained plurality of sets; and

the outputting of the determined VOA includes playing back the plurality of calculated VOAs as a movie.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the further set of parameter settings includes a plurality of sets of parameter settings for a therapy that includes performing a stimulation using the plurality of sets in a sequence;

the calculating of the VOA includes calculating a respective VOA for each of the obtained plurality of sets; and

the outputting of the determined VOA includes;

displaying selectable components corresponding to the plurality of calculated VOAs according to the sequence; and

in response to selection of one of the components, outputting the calculated VOA that corresponds to the selected component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained set of parameter settings is different than all of the stored sets of the parameter settings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the VOA for the obtained set of parameter settings includes determining which one or more of the stored sets of parameter settings are most similar to the obtained set of parameter settings, and selecting a VOA corresponding to the one or more stored sets of parameter settings.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more stored sets of parameter settings includes a plurality of sets of parameter settings for which different VOAs were calculated, and the selection of the VOA includes constructing a new VOA based on features of the different VOAs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the calculating step includes, for each of at least one parameter setting, calculating a respective set of VOAs for a range of parameter values for the parameter setting, parameter values of other parameter settings of the set remaining the same for the calculation of the respective set of VOAs;

the method further comprises, for the each of the at least one parameter, developing a relationship of a variance in a value of the parameter to a variance in a VOA; and

the construction of the new VOA is performed based on one or more of the developed relationships.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing in the database the new VOA in association with its corresponding set of parameter settings.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

developing a parameter set-to-VOA relationship based on the calculated VOAs, wherein the determination of the VOA for the obtained set of parameter settings is based on the developed relationship.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of parameter settings and the further set of parameter settings differ from each other with respect to respective values set for a plurality of parameters of the leadwire, the plurality of parameters for which the values are specified being the same for all of the plurality of sets of parameter settings and the further set of parameter settings.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting of the determined VOA includes displaying the VOA overlaid on a representation of brain tissue and a representation of the leadwire positioned in the representation of the brain tissue.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulation electrode leadwire provides a deep brain stimulation under the obtained set of parameter settings.

11. A computer-implemented method to provide a volume of activation (VOA) of a stimulation electrode leadwire, comprising:

storing in a database a plurality of VOAs, each in association with a respective set of parameter settings for which the respective VOA was previously calculated;

obtaining a further set of parameter settings of the leadwire;

determining, by the processor, a VOA for the obtained set of parameter settings that is based on and different than the stored VOAs; and

outputting, by the processor, the determined VOA;

wherein each set of parameter settings includes a setting for at least one of a leadwire location, an electrode location, a selection of one or more electrodes for activation, a stimulation current amplitude, a stimulation frequency, an impedance, and a pulse width.

14. A system for providing a volume of activation (VOA) of a stimulation electrode leadwire, comprising:

a memory device;

a display device; and

a processor configured to;

calculate a VOA for each of a plurality of sets of parameter settings of the leadwire;

store in the memory device each of the calculated VOAs in association with the respective set of parameter settings for which it was calculated;

obtain a further set of parameter settings of the leadwire;

determine a VOA that is different than the stored VOAs and that, based on the stored VOAs, is estimated to result from the obtained set of parameter settings; and

display in the display device the determined VOA.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the further set of parameter settings includes a plurality of sets of parameter settings for a therapy that includes performing a stimulation using the plurality of sets in a sequence that is applied cyclically to the leadwire, different ones of the sets applied at different pulses of the cyclically applied sequence;

the calculation of the VOA includes calculating a respective VOA for each of the obtained plurality of sets; and

the display of the determined VOA includes playing back the plurality of calculated VOAs as a movie.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the obtained set of parameter settings is different than all of the stored sets of the parameter settings.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the determination of the VOA for the obtained set of parameter settings includes determining which one or more of the stored sets of parameter settings are most similar to the obtained set of parameter settings, and selecting a VOA corresponding to the one or more stored sets of parameter settings.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more stored sets of parameter settings includes a plurality of sets of parameter settings for which different VOAs were calculated, and the selection of the VOA includes constructing a new VOA based on features of the different VOAs.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the calculation of the VOA includes, for each of at least one parameter setting, calculating a respective set of VOAs for a range of parameter values for the parameter setting, parameter values of other parameter settings of the set remaining the same for the calculation of the respective set of VOAs;

the method further comprises, for the each of the at least one parameter, developing a relationship of a variance in a value of the parameter to a variance in a VOA; and

the construction of the new VOA is performed based on one or more of the developed relationships.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

developing a parameter set-to-VOA relationship based on the calculated VOAs, wherein the determination of the VOA for the obtained set of parameter settings is based on the developed relationship.

21. A computer-implemented method to provide a volume of activation (VOA) of a stimulation electrode leadwire, comprising:

storing in a database a plurality of VOAs, each in association with a respective set of parameter settings for which the respective VOA was previously calculated;

obtaining a further set of parameter settings of the leadwire;

determining, by the processor, for the obtained set of parameter settings, and based on the stored VOAs, a new VOA different than the stored VOAs; and

outputting, by the processor, the determined new VOA.