Background/objective: One of the major challenges of neurostimulation is actually to address the back pain component in patients suffering from refractory chronic back and leg pain. To be able to evaluate and compare objectively patient outcomes, depending on therapeutic strategies, it appears essential to develop a rational and quantitative approach to pain assessment and neurostimulation outcomes for those who undergo neurostimulation implantation.
Materials/methods: Our neuroinformatics laboratory (N3Lab) located in Poitiers University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, enabled us to develop the Neuro-Mapping Tools software (N3MT) (Inter Deposit Digital Number: IDDN FR 001-1600002-000-R-P-2013-000-31230; Patent Applications n°PCT/EP2014/067231, n°PCT/FR 14/000 186 and n°PCT/FR 14/000 187). This tool consists of touch screen mapping, allowing the patient and/or the physician to interact by means of a tablet computer to delineate painful zones and paraesthesia coverage in the thoracolumbar region and legs.
Results: The software is used in more than 190 patients since 2012, leading us to describe new measurement parameters, divided into two categories: 1) Technical parameters, evaluating the implanted device itself, 2) Clinical parameters, evaluating patient response to the therapy.
Conclusions: The software is an original software designed to objectively and quantitatively characterize reduction of a painful area in a given individual, in terms of intensity, surface and pain typology, in response to a treatment strategy or implantation of an analgesic device. The software could help to guide tomorrow's treatment options by transforming personal convictions into a more robust scientific rationale based on data collection and data mining techniques.
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© 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.
