Collection of clinical data for graphical representation and analysis

Abstract

A method of treating a patient and an external programmer for use with a neurostimulator. Electrical stimulation energy is conveyed into tissue of the patient via a specified combination of a plurality of electrodes, thereby creating one or more clinical effects. An influence of the specified electrode combination on the clinical effect(s) is determined. An anatomical region of interest is displayed in registration with a graphical representation of the plurality of electrodes. The displayed anatomical region of interest is modified based on the determined influence of the specified electrode combination on the clinical effect(s).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of treating a patient, comprising:
 displaying a graphical rendering of an anatomical region of interest in registration with a graphical rendering of a plurality of electrodes on a screen, the anatomical region of interest being at least one of a therapy tissue region and a side-effect tissue region;   conveying electrical stimulation energy into tissue of the patient via a specified combination of the plurality of electrodes resulting in one or more clinical effects;   determining an influence of the specified electrode combination on the one or more clinical effects; and   automatically modifying the displayed graphical rendering of the anatomical region of interest on the screen based on the determined influence of the specified electrode combination on the one or more resulting clinical effects.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the anatomical region of interest is an anatomical structure functionally delineated from surrounding tissue. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the anatomical region of interest is an arbitrarily defined anatomical region of interest. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the displayed anatomical region of interest is modified by spatially translating the displayed anatomical region of interest relative to the graphical electrode representation. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the displayed anatomical region of interest is modified by changing a shape of the displayed anatomical region of interest. 
     
     
         6 . A method of treating a patient using a plurality of electrodes implanted within tissue of the patient, comprising:
 selecting one of a plurality of different pre-defined shapes for an electric field;   defining a location of the electric field relative to a graphical representation of the electrodes;   determining a combination of the electrodes based on the one selected shape and defined location of the electric field; and   conveying electrical stimulation energy into the tissue of the patient via the determined combination of the electrodes.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the determined combination of the electrodes is a fractionalized electrode combination. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of different pre-defined shapes comprises a circular shape and a pear-shape. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 selecting another one of the plurality of different pre-defined shapes for another electric field; and   defining a location of the other electric field relative to the graphical representation of the electrodes, wherein the combination of the electrodes is determined based on both the one selected shape and defined location of the electric field and the other selected shape and defined location of the other electric field.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising adjusting an intensity level of the conveyed electrical stimulation energy, wherein a size of the electric field is adjusted in accordance with the adjusted intensity level. 
     
     
         11 . An external programmer for use with a neurostimulator, the external programmer comprising:
 memory storing a plurality of different pre-defined shapes for an electric field;   a screen;   a user interface and configured to allow a user to select one of the pre-defined shapes displayed on the screen, and to allow the user to define a location of the electric field relative to a graphical representation of the electrodes on the screen;   output circuitry configured to communicate with the neurostimulator;   processing circuitry configured to determine a combination of the electrodes based on the one selected shape and defined location of the electric field; and   control circuitry configured to instruct the neurostimulator via the output circuitry to convey electrical stimulation energy into the tissue of the patient via the determined combination of the electrodes.   
     
     
         12 . The external programmer of  claim 11 , wherein the determined combination of the electrodes is a fractionalized combination of the electrodes. 
     
     
         13 . The external programmer of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of different predefined shapes comprises a circular shape and a pear-shape. 
     
     
         14 . The external programmer of  claim 11 , wherein the user interface is further configured to allow a user to select another one of the plurality of different pre-defined shapes for another electric field, and to allow the user to define a location of the other electric field relative to the graphical representation of the electrodes, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the combination of the electrodes based on both the one selected shape and defined location of the electric field and the other selected shape and defined location of the other electric field. 
     
     
         15 . The external programmer of  claim 11 , wherein the user interface and the control circuitry is further configured to allow a user to adjust an intensity level of the conveyed electrical stimulation energy, wherein a size of the electric field is adjusted in accordance with the adjusted intensity level. 
     
     
         16 . The external programmer of  claim 15 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to display, on the screen, a therapy tissue region to a user, and the user interface is configured to allow a user to compare the displayed therapy tissue region to the plurality of different pre-defined electric field shapes, such that the user may select the one pre-defined shape based on the comparison. 
     
     
         17 . The external programmer of  claim 16 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to display, on the screen, the therapy tissue region relative to the graphical electrode representation, and the user interface is further configured to allow the user to define the location of the electric field to match the location of the displayed therapy tissue region relative to the graphical representation of the electrodes. 
     
     
         18 . The external programmer of  claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured for automatically determining the combination of electrodes based on the selected shape and the defined location of the electric field. 
     
     
         19 . The external programmer of  claim 18 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured for automatically determining a plurality of different combinations of the electrodes based on the selected shape and the defined location of the electric field, and the control circuitry is further configured for conveying electrical stimulation energy into the tissue of the patient via the plurality of different combinations of electrodes to produce a clinical effect for each of the different combinations of electrodes. 
     
     
         20 . The external programmer of  claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to program the neurostimulator with the determined combination of electrodes.