Patent US9764136

Clinical decision support system

Example apparatus and methods concern a next generation clinical decision support system (ngCDSS) for the management of neurological conditions (e.g., advanced Parkinson's disease (PD)). Conventional coupled adjustment of pharmacologic therapy and stimulation parameter settings is a time-consuming process that sometimes yields sub-optimal outcomes. Example ngCDSS use a machine learning trained function that relates deep brain stimulation (DBS) parameters, medication dosages, and patient-specific pre and post operative clinical data with actual treatment outcomes for a population of previously treated patients. Example ngCDSS incorporate image-based patient-specific computer models of the estimated stimulation volume of tissue stimulated by DBS in a multi-linear regression analysis to produce a predictor function that is highly correlated with actual outcomes. Example ngCDSS facilitate predicting the outcomes of a combined pharmacologic-DBS therapy, which in turn facilitate optimizing patient-specific treatment for improved benefits with minimal adverse effects.