Patent Document ID: 8781592
Application ID: 13226897
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of identifying an area for electrical stimulation with a stimulation system for treating a patient, the stimulation system comprising a programmer configured to communicate with an electrical stimulation generator, the method comprising: displaying a patient model on a display screen of the programmer; receiving, by the programmer, user input identifying an area of pain on the patient model via a selection of an area of a body part; associating the area of pain identified with a spinal column location; displaying on the display screen a suggested medical lead position and a suggested stimulation area, both on an image of a spinal column, based on the step of associating; receiving, by the programmer, positioning input that indicates a position of a medical lead implanted in the patient with respect to the spinal column; displaying a representation of the medical lead on the image of the spinal column in an anatomically correct location, in an actual orientation, and with an anatomically correct size, based on the positioning input; determining an expected stimulation field based on the positioning input and stimulation parameters; displaying the expected stimulation field on the image of the spinal column; receiving graphical manipulations, via a graphical user interface, of one of a graphical boundary and graphical position of the expected stimulation field; driving the medical lead with the electrical stimulation generator to generate electrical stimulation according to the expected stimulation field as manipulated; generating electrical stimulation using the programmer, the electrical stimulation generator, and the medical lead at a first series of discrete locations, wherein the first series of discrete locations at least partially overlaps the suggested stimulation area, wherein each of the first series of locations is adjacent at least one of the other first series of locations, and wherein electrical stimulation is applied consecutively to adjacent locations of the first series of discrete locations; and receiving patient feedback indicating the efficacy of the electrical stimulation for each location of the first series of discrete locations.