Body region indication

Abstract

The invention is directed toward two-dimensional dynamic body image templates, and associated techniques, that allow a user to indicate regions of the human body. The body region indications may correspond to locations of injury, pain, treatment, discoloration, paresthesia, or the like. A user is presented with the body image templates and asked to indicate regions on the body templates that correspond to affected regions of a patient's body. The body image templates represent views of an external surface of a human body rotated about at least one axis. In exemplary embodiments, a user controls display of overlapping templates, which may allow the user to perceive rotation of a three-dimensional body surface. The user indicated regions from each of the displayed body image templates are stored in a body surface coordinate system, such that regions indicated via one template may be appropriately displayed on other templates.

1 . A method comprising:
 displaying a two-dimensional body template that illustrates a view of an external surface of a human body via a display;   receiving input from a user indicating a region of the body template, wherein the input comprises a two-dimensional polygon outline of the indicated region; and   mapping the input to a body surface coordinate system that describes the external surface of the human body.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein displaying the body template comprises generating the body template from the body surface coordinate system. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving input from the user comprises receiving input from the user via the display. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the body surface coordinate system comprises one of a three-dimensional coordinate system or a two-dimensional coordinate system. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein mapping the input into a three-dimensional body surface coordinate system comprises assigning a third coordinate to each point of the indicated region of the body template. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising regenerating the body template from the coordinate system subsequent to receiving the user input, and redisplaying the body template to illustrate the indicated region. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein regenerating the body template to illustrate the indicated region on the template comprises regenerating the body template to include shading of the indicated region on the template. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the regenerated body template comprises a first body template that illustrates a first view of the external surface, the method further comprising:
 generating a second body template to illustrate a second view of the external surface of the body, wherein the external surface is rotated an angle about an axis relative to the first view, and the second body template illustrates at least a portion of the indicated region; and   displaying the second body template.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the indicated region indicates a region of at least one of pain or paresthesia experienced by a patient. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 storing the coordinate system within a memory, the coordinate system including the mapped user input; and   generating body templates based on the coordinate system for presentation of the user input to a clinician.   
   
   
       11 . A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:
 display a two-dimensional body template that illustrates a view of an external surface of a human body via a display;   receive input from a user indicating a region of the body template, wherein the input comprises a two-dimensional polygon outline of the indicated region; and   map the input to a body surface coordinate system that describes the external surface of the human body.   
   
   
       12 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions that cause a programmable processor to display the body template comprise instructions that cause a programmable processor to generate the body template from the body surface coordinate system. 
   
   
       13 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions that cause a programmable processor to receive input comprise instructions that cause a programmable processor to receive input via the display. 
   
   
       14 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the body surface coordinate system comprises one of a three-dimensional coordinate system or a two dimensional coordinate system. 
   
   
       15 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the instructions that cause a programmable processor to map the input into a three-dimensional body surface coordinate system comprise instructions that cause a programmable processor to assign a third coordinate to each point of the indicated region of the body template. 
   
   
       16 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , further comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:
 regenerate the body template from the coordinate system subsequent to receiving the user input; and   redisplay the body template to illustrate the indicated region.   
   
   
       17 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions that cause a programmable processor to regenerate the body template to illustrate the indicated region on the template comprise instructions that cause a programmable processor to regenerate the body template to include shading of the indicated region on the template. 
   
   
       18 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the regenerated body template comprises a first body template that illustrates a first view of the external surface, the computer-readable medium further comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:
 generate a second body template to illustrate a second view of the external surface of the body, wherein the external surface is rotated an angle about an axis relative to the first view, and the second body template illustrates at least a portion of the indicated region; and   display the second body template.   
   
   
       19 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , further comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:
 store the coordinate system within a memory, the coordinate system including the mapped user input; and   generate body templates based on the coordinate system for presentation of the user input to a clinician.   
   
   
       20 . A device comprising:
 a display to display a two-dimensional body template that illustrates a view of an external surface of a human body;   a user input circuit to receive input from a user indicating a region of the body template, wherein the input comprises a two-dimensional polygon outline of the indicated region;   a memory to store a body surface coordinate system that describes the external surface of the human body; and   a processor to display the body template via the display, and map the user input to the body surface coordinate system.   
   
   
       21 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the processor generates the body template from the body surface coordinate system. 
   
   
       22 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the display comprises the user input circuit. 
   
   
       23 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the body surface coordinate system comprises one of a three-dimensional coordinate system or a two-dimensional coordinate system. 
   
   
       24 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the processor maps the input into the three-dimensional body surface coordinate system by assigning a third coordinate to each point of the indicated region of the body template. 
   
   
       25 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the processor regenerates the body template from the coordinate system subsequent to receiving the user input via the user input circuit, and redisplays the body template to illustrate the indicated region. 
   
   
       26 . The device of  claim 25 , wherein the processor regenerates the body template to illustrate the indicated region by regenerating the body template to include shading of the indicated region on the template. 
   
   
       27 . The device of  claim 25 , wherein the regenerated body template comprises a first body template that illustrates a first view of the external surface, and wherein the processor generates a second body template to illustrate a second view of the external surface of the body rotated by an angle about an axis relative to the first view, the second body template illustrating at least a portion of the indicated region, and displays the second body template via the display. 
   
   
       28 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the body region indication indicates a region of at least one of pain or paresthesia experienced by a patient. 
   
   
       29 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the memory stores the coordinate system including the mapped user input, and the processor generates body templates based on the coordinate system for presentation of the user input to a clinician via the display. 
   
   
       30 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the device comprises a programming device for programming an implantable medical device. 
   
   
       31 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the device comprises a handheld computing device. 
   
   
       32 . A method comprising:
 depicting rotation of an external surface of a human body about at least one axis;   receiving input from a user indicating a region of the external surface; and   storing the received region indication in a body surface coordinate system that describes the external surface of the human body.   
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising:
 shading the indicated region of the surface; and   depicting further rotation of the external surface and the shaded region about the at least one axis.   
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein depicting rotation of the external surface comprises sequentially displaying a plurality of two-dimensional body templates, each of the body templates illustrating a respective one of a plurality of views of the external surface. 
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein displaying a plurality of two-dimensional body templates comprises displaying at least three two-dimensional body templates. 
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein depicting rotation and receiving input comprises depicting rotation and receiving input via a display. 
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising receiving commands from a user, wherein depicting rotation comprises controlling at least one of a direction and a speed of the rotation according to the commands. 
   
   
       38 . A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:
 depict rotation of an external surface of a human body about at least one axis;   receive input from a user indicating a region of the external surface; and   store the received region indication in a body surface coordinate system that describes the external surface of the human body.   
   
   
       39 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 38 , further comprising instructions that cause a processor to:
 shade the indicated region of the surface; and   depict further rotation of the external surface and the shaded region about the axis.   
   
   
       40 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 38 , wherein the instructions that cause a processor to depict rotation of the external surface comprise instructions that cause a processor to sequentially display a plurality of two-dimensional body templates, each of the body templates illustrating a respective one of a plurality of views of the external surface. 
   
   
       41 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 40 , wherein the instructions that cause a processor to display a plurality of two-dimensional body templates comprise instructions that cause a processor to display at least three two-dimensional body templates. 
   
   
       42 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 38 , wherein the instructions that cause a processor to depict rotation and receive input comprise instructions that cause a processor to depict rotation and receive input via a display. 
   
   
       43 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 38 , further comprising instructions that cause a processor to receive commands from a user, wherein the instructions that cause a processor to depict rotation comprise instructions that cause a processor to control at least one of a direction and a speed of the rotation according to the commands. 
   
   
       44 . A device comprising:
 a display; and   a processor to depict rotation of an external surface of a human body about at least one axis via the display, receive input from a user indicating a region of the external surface, and store the received region indication in a body surface coordinate system that describes the external surface of the human body.   
   
   
       45 . The device of  claim 44 , wherein the processor shades the indicated region of the surface, and depicts further rotation of the external surface and the shaded region about the axis via the display. 
   
   
       46 . The device of  claim 44 , wherein the processor depicts rotation of the external surface by sequentially displaying a plurality of two-dimensional body templates via the display, each of the body templates illustrating a respective one of a plurality of views of the external surface. 
   
   
       47 . The device of  claim 46 , wherein the processor displays at least three two-dimensional body templates. 
   
   
       48 . The device of  claim 44 , wherein the processor receives the input via a display. 
   
   
       49 . The device of  claim 44 , further comprising a user interface, wherein the processor receives commands from a user via the user interface, and controls at least one of a direction and a speed of the rotation according to the commands.