Systems and methods for stimulation-related volume analysis, creation, and sharing

Abstract

A computer implemented system and method facilitates a cycle of generation, sharing, and refinement of volumes related to stimulation of anatomical tissue, such as brain or spinal cord stimulation. Such volumes can include target stimulation volumes, side effect volumes, and volumes of estimated activation. A computer system and method also facilitates analysis of groups of volumes, including analysis of differences and/or commonalities between different groups of volumes.

1 . A computer-implemented method for determining anatomical tissue regions that are relevant to stimulation, comprising:
 receiving a target volume, wherein the target volume is either a therapeutic effect region or a side effect region;   generating, by a computer processor, a code based on one or more characteristics the target volume, wherein the target volume can be reconstructed using the code; and   storing the code.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a center of mass of the target volume. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more characteristics comprise spatial coordinates of a perimeter of the target volume. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more characteristics further comprise a center of mass of the target volume. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the code is an alphanumeric code. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to generating the code, transforming the target volume from a patient-specific anatomical space to a generic atlas space. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising
 obtaining a set of stimulation parameters corresponding to the target volume; and   stimulating a patient using the set of stimulation parameters.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein storing the code comprises uploading the code to a central server. 
     
     
         9 . A computer-implemented method for determining anatomical tissue regions that are relevant to stimulation, comprising:
 receiving a code for a target volume, wherein the target volume is a therapeutic effect region;   reconstructing, by a computer processor, the target volume from the code, wherein the code is based on one or more characteristics the target volume, wherein the target volume can be reconstructed using the code;   obtaining a set of stimulation parameters corresponding to the target volume; and   stimulating a patient using the set of stimulation parameters.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a center of mass of the target volume. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more characteristics comprise spatial coordinates of a perimeter of the target volume. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more characteristics further comprise a center of mass of the target volume. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the code is an alphanumeric code. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising, prior to generating the code, transforming the target volume from a generic atlas space to a patient-specific anatomical space. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein receiving the code comprises retrieving the code from a central server. 
     
     
         16 . An electrical stimulation system, comprising:
 a memory; and   a processor configured to:
 receive time-stamped entries for an e-diary related to electrical stimulation of a patient; 
 store the time-stamped entries in the memory; and 
 upon user request, retrieve one or more of the entries. 
   
     
     
         17 . The electrical stimulation system of  claim 16 , wherein one or more of the time-stamped entries comprise patient condition information. 
     
     
         18 . The electrical stimulation system of  claim 17 , wherein receiving time-stamped entries comprises receiving input from the patient of a measure of how the patient is feeling. 
     
     
         19 . The electrical stimulation system of  claim 16 , wherein one or more of the time-stamped entries comprise information concerning stimulation settings. 
     
     
         20 . The electrical stimulation system of  claim 16 , further comprising uploading the time-stamped entries to a central server.