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Evaluation of Ultrasonic Neuroma Size With Residual Limb Pain in Above-Knee Amputees

NCT00686764 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 7

Last updated 2015-12-14

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background: The formation of neuromas, a fusiform swelling of a nerve or nerve ending, is a well documented response to limb amputation. Likewise, Residual Limb Pain (RLP), pain felt from the remaining portion of the amputated limb, is common among amputees. Neuromas are found in more than 90% of lower extremity amputations, of which 30-50% are pain-generating for the patient . And while surgical techniques reveal the commonly held belief that neuroma formation is one of the causal drivers behind RLP, there has been no study to demonstrate that the two events - namely the magnitude of neuroma formation and the magnitude of pain experienced by amputees - are correlated. If this correlation, or lack thereof, were elucidated with the use of ultrasonography, this would provide the preliminary data which could lead to further studies in neuroma minimization and/or proliferation.

Objective: This study seeks to use ultrasonography (US) to quantify the degree to which neuroma size and the nature of surrounding tissue correlate with the experience of RLP in trans-femoral amputees.

Setting and Subjects: This study will enroll 30 trans-femoral amputees, male and female, who are over the age of 18. The study will take place in the OHSU Orthopaedic Outpatient Clinic, and OHSU Imaging Department.

Intervention: None. This is an observational clinical study in which we will characterize the sciatic nerve/neuroma and surrounding tissue using ultrasound.

Measurements: We will use US to measure the cross sectional area of the neuroma at its widest point and compare this to the cross section of the same neuron at the lesser trochanter. Furthermore, we will describe the morphology of the neuroma. To quantify the subject's pain experience we will utilize the Questionnaire for Persons with Transfemoral Amputation (Q-TFA), Trinity Amputation \& Prosthetic Experience Scale (TAPES), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the Short Form 36 (SF-36).

Analysis: The statistical analysis will employ a Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis.

Conditions

  • Neuroma Amputation

Interventions

OTHER

Observational

Using ultrasound, we will measure the cross-sectional area of the neuroma at its widest point and compare to the cross-sectional area of the same nerve at the lesser trochanter. We will be using four different metrics for quantifying the pain experience of each subject: Questionnaire for Persons with Transfemoral Amputation (Q-FTA), Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experience Scales (TAPES), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the Short-Form 36 (SF-36).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Oregon Health and Science University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Hans Carlson, M.D. · Oregon Health and Science University

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
99 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2008-05-31
Primary Completion
2010-02-28
Completion
2010-02-28

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00686764 on ClinicalTrials.gov