Display of region of activation in neurostimulation programming screen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11865345-B2
Application number	US-202217739931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2022
Priority date	May 17, 2011
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

A system for use with a neurostimulator coupled to one or more electrodes implanted adjacent neural tissue of a patient. The system comprises a user input device configured for allowing a user to select different nerve fiber diameters and to select a set of stimulation parameters. The system further comprises processing circuitry configured estimating regions of activation within the neural tissue of the patient based on the selected nerve fiber diameters and the selected stimulation parameter set. The system further comprises a display device configured for displaying the estimated regions of tissue activation. The user input device may further be configured for allowing the user to select different tissue regions of therapy, in which case, the display device may display the different tissue region on a human body map, and different indicia associating the displayed tissue regions for therapy to displayed estimated regions of tissue activation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a neural stimulator configured to stimulate target neural tissue without a side effect caused by stimulating other neural tissue;
a user input device configured to allow a user to select a set of stimulation parameters for the neural stimulator to stimulate the target neural tissue;
a display;
processing circuitry connected to the user input device and the display, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
provide together on the display representations including a first representation indicative of an electrical stimulation field based on the user-selected set of stimulation parameters for the neural stimulator, a second representation indicative of the target neural tissue, and a third representation indicative of the other neural tissue;
change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue to indicate when the user-selected set of stimulation parameters is estimated to stimulate the target neural tissue; and
change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the other neural tissue to indicate when the user-selected set of stimulation parameters is estimated to stimulate the other neural tissue and cause the side effect; and
output circuitry configured to transmit the user-selected set of stimulation parameters to the neural stimulator for use by the neural stimulator to stimulate the target neural tissue.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second representation is displayed as a first color and the third representation is displayed as a second color.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user input device is configured to allow the user to select the target neural tissue to be stimulated by the neural stimulator using the set of stimulation parameters.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to represent different target neural tissue on the display with different colors.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the different target neural tissue includes different nerve fiber diameters.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein processing circuitry is configured to change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue by changing from not displaying the second representation to displaying the second representation when it is estimated that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein processing circuitry is configured to change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the other neural tissue by changing from not displaying the third representation to displaying the third representation when it is estimated that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the selected stimulation parameter set comprises an electrode combination, wherein the user input device is further configured to enable a user to define a target pole relative to the one or more electrodes, wherein the target pole indicates a locus of the electrical stimulation field and the third representation indicates the target pole, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the electrode combination based on the defined target pole.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the target neural tissue includes spinal cord tissue.

10. A method for using a system comprising a neural stimulator, user input device, processing circuitry and a display, the method comprising:
using the user input device to receive a user selection of a set of stimulation parameters for the neural stimulator to stimulate the target neural tissue;
using the processing circuitry to provide together on the display representations including a first representation indicative of an electrical stimulation field based on the user-selected set of stimulation parameters for the neural stimulator, a second representation indicative of the target neural tissue, and a third representation indicative of the other neural tissue;
using the processing circuitry to change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue to indicate when the user-selected set of stimulation parameters is estimated to stimulate the target neural tissue;
using the processing circuitry to change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the other neural tissue to indicate when the user-selected set of stimulation parameters is estimated to stimulate the other neural tissue and cause the side effect;
transmitting the user-selected set of stimulation parameters to the neural stimulator for use by the neural stimulator to stimulate the target neural tissue; and
stimulating the target neural tissue using the neural stimulator, wherein the neural stimulator uses the transmitted user-selected set of stimulation parameters to stimulate the target neural tissue.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein using the processing circuitry to change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue includes changing from not displaying the second representation to displaying the second representation when it is estimated that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein using the processing circuitry to change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the other neural tissue includes changing from not displaying the third representation to displaying the third representation when it is estimated that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second representation is displayed as a first color and the third representation is displayed as a second color.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising using the user input device to allow the user to select the target neural tissue to be stimulated by the neural stimulator using the set of stimulation parameters.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising using the processing circuitry to represent different target neural tissue on the display with different colors.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media including instructions, which when executed by a system that comprises a neural stimulator, a user input device, processing circuitry and a display, cause the system to perform a method comprising:
using the user input device to receive a user selection of a set of stimulation parameters for the neural stimulator to stimulate the target neural tissue;
using the processing circuitry to provide together on the display representations including a first representation indicative of an electrical stimulation field based on the user-selected set of stimulation parameters for the neural stimulator, a second representation indicative of the target neural tissue, and a third representation indicative of the other neural tissue;
using the processing circuitry to change the display in response to estimating that the user-selected set of stimulation parameters will stimulate the target neural tissue to indicate when the user-selected set of stimulation parameters

Assignees

• Boston Scient Neuromodulation Corp

Inventors

• Lee Dongchul
• Zhu Changfang

Classifications

• A61N1/36146 Primary

  specified by the stimulation parameters · CPC title

• A61N1/37247

  User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means · CPC title