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Herniated DiscPhase 4SPORTNCT00000410

Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) - Intervertebral Disc Herniation

A Phase 4 study testing Diskectomy and Non-surgical treatments in people with Herniated Disc and Low Back Pain, run by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center at 13 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study tests the effectiveness of different treatments for the three most commonly diagnosed lumbar (lower) spine conditions. The purpose of the study is to learn which of two commonly prescribed treatments (surgery and non-surgical therapy) works better for specific types of low back pain. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Herniated Disc, Low Back Pain
What is being tested?
Diskectomy and Non-surgical treatments
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
501 participants
Where
13 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2000to Apr 2015
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Duration of symptoms: 6 or more weeks.
  • Treatments tried: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medical therapy and physical therapy.
  • Surgical screening: Persistent radicular pain provoked by moderate exercise, sitting, increased abdominal pressure, decreased mobility, list (scoliosis), straight leg raising.
  • Tests: MRI to confirm diagnosis and level(s).

Who cannot join

  • Previous lumbar spine surgery.
  • Not a surgical candidate for any of these reasons: Overall health which makes spinal surgery too life-threatening to be an appropriate alternative, dramatic improvement with conservative care, or inability (for any reason) to undergo surgery within 6 months.
  • Possible pregnancy.
  • Active malignancy: A patient with a history of any invasive malignancy (except non-melanoma skin cancer) is ineligible unless he or she has been treated with a curative intent AND there has been no clinical signs or symptoms of the malignancy for at least 5 years.
  • Current fracture, infection, and/or deformity (greater than 15 degrees of lumbar scoliosis, using Cobb measure technique) of the spine.
  • Age less than 18 years.
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Cauda Equina syndrome or progressive neurological deficit (usually requiring urgent surgery).
  • Unavailability for follow-up (planning to move, no telephone, etc.) or inability to complete data surveys.
  • Symptoms less than 6 weeks.
  • Patient currently enrolled in any experimental "spine related" study.

Trial locations and contacts

13 sites in 1 country.

13 sites in 1 country

United States13 sites
  • Rush-Presbyterian, St. Luke's Medical Center

    Chicago, Illinois, 60612-3833

  • Case Western Reserve University

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44106

  • The Emory Clinic, Emory University

    Decatur, Georgia, 30033

  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center - Spine Center

    Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03756

  • New York University, The Hospital for Joint Diseases

    New York, New York, 10003

  • Hospital for Special Surgery

    New York, New York, 10021

  • Kaiser Permanente Spine Care Program

    Oakland, California, 94612

  • Nebraska Foundation for Spinal Research

    Omaha, Nebraska, 68154-4438

  • Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson Hospital

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107-4216

  • William Beaumont Hospital

    Royal Oak, Michigan, 48073-9952

  • University of California, San Francisco

    San Francisco, California, 94143-0728

  • Maine Spine & Rehabilitation

    Scarborough, Maine, 04074

  • Washington University

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT): A Multicenter Randomized Trial for Intervertebral Disc Herniation (IDH)

This study tests the effectiveness of different treatments for the three most commonly diagnosed lumbar (lower) spine conditions. The purpose of the study is to learn which of two commonly prescribed treatments (surgery and non-surgical therapy) works better for specific types of low back pain.

In this part of the study, people with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (damage to the tissue between the bones of the lower spine, or backbone) will receive either discectomy (surgical removal of herniated disc material) or non-surgical treatment. This study does not cover the cost of treatment.

Read the detailed description

Low back pain is considered one of the most widely experienced health problems in the United States and the world. This condition is the second most frequent condition, after the common cold, for which people see a physician or lose days from work. Estimated costs to those who are severely disabled from low back pain range from $30-70 billion annually. Rates of spinal surgery in the U.S. have increased sharply over time, and researchers have documented 15-fold geographic variation in rates of these surgeries. In many cases, where one lives and who one sees for the problem appear to determine the rates of surgery. Despite these trends, there is little evidence proving the effectiveness of these therapies over non-surgical management.

Overall, the SPORT study is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial for the three most common diagnostic groups for which spine surgery is performed: lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (IDH), spinal stenosis (SpS) and spinal stenosis secondary to degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). This arm of the trial will deal with patients from the first diagnostic group. The study will compare the most commonly used standard surgical treatments to the most commonly used standard non-surgical treatments. We will conduct the study at 12 sites throughout the United States.

The primary endpoint of the study will be changes in health-related quality of life as measured by the SF-36 health status questionnaire. Secondary endpoints will include patient satisfaction with treatment, utility for current health in order to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYS) as the measure for cost-effectiveness, resource use, and cost.

We will follow patients at 6 weeks and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months to determine their health status, function, satisfaction, and use of health care. In this arm of the trial, we anticipate enrolling and randomly allocating a total of 500 participants. We will track an additional observational cohort to assess health and resource outcomes (1000 participants). Enrollment in the Observational cohort has been completed as of February 2003.

We will integrate data from the trial and observational cohorts to formally estimate the cost-effectiveness of surgical versus non-surgical interventions for IDH, SpS, and DS. On the basis of the results of this trial we will, for the first time, have scientific evidence as to the relative effectiveness of surgical versus non-surgical treatment for these three most commonly diagnosed lumbar spine conditions.

Being tested
Diskectomy, Non-surgical treatments
Keywords
Intervertebral disc herniation (IDH), Stenosis with degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS), Spinal stenosis (SpS), Low back pain (LBP), Leg pain, Surgical therapy, Non-surgical therapy, Randomized study, Multicenter, MRI
Medical subject headings
Intervertebral Disc Displacement, Low Back Pain, Spinal Stenosis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • DiskectomyProcedure or surgery

    The surgeon will leave the nerve root freely mobile and undamaged following the procedure. During the procedure, the surgeon may consider using loop magnification or a microscope. The surgical incision will be midline and, after reflecting the paraspinous muscles, the interlaminar level will be identified and entered. The nerve root will be clearly identified and mobilized and then gently retracted to prepare for the discectomy. Removal of the medial border of the superior facet may, in some cases, be necessary in order to have a clear view of the lateral border of the involved nerve root. Following the clear view of the nerve root and mobilization, the IDH will be approached by making a small annular incision if necessary, the fragment of disc will then be removed (i.e., limited disc excision). A search of the canal will follow removal of the fragment, along with probing of the intervertebral-foramen for residual disc or bony pathology.

  • Non-surgical treatmentsProcedure or surgery

    Active physical therapy modality, Education/Counseling with home exercise instruction, and an NSAID if tolerated

Study groups in NCT00000410
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
SurgeryActive comparatorDiskectomy
Receives: Procedure: Diskectomy; Procedure: Non-surgical treatments
Non-surgical interventionActive comparatorNon-surgical treatments
Receives: Procedure: Non-surgical treatments

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Changes in health-related quality of life as measured by the SF-36 health status questionnaire

    Measured: Baseline, 6 wks, 3 and 6 mos, Annually thereafter

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Patient satisfaction with treatment

    Measured: Baseline, 6 wks, 3 mos, Annually thereafter

  2. utility for current health in order to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYS) as the measure for cost effectiveness

    Measured: Baseline, 1 yr, 4 yr

  3. resource utilization

    Measured: Baseline, 6 wks, 3 and 6 mos, Annually thereafter

  4. cost

    Measured: Baseline, 6 wks, 3 and 6 mos, Annually thereafter

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Nov 1999 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2000
  3. Primary completionApr 2015
  4. Study completionApr 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
501 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00000410
Sponsor's protocol ID
U01 AR45444 NIAMS-004C
Other IDs
U01AR045444
Acronym
SPORT
Status last verified
Aug 2015
First submitted
3 Nov 1999
Last updated
4 Aug 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Birkmeyer NJ, Weinstein JN, Tosteson AN, Tosteson TD, Skinner JS, Lurie JD, Deyo R, Wennberg JE. Design of the Spine Patient outcomes Research Trial (SPORT). Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2002 Jun 15;27(12):1361-72. doi: 10.1097/00007632-200206150-00020.

    PubMed 12065987
  • Weinstein JN, Brown PW, Hanscom B, Walsh T, Nelson EC. Designing an ambulatory clinical practice for outcomes improvement: from vision to reality--the Spine Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, year one. Qual Manag Health Care. 2000 Winter;8(2):1-20. doi: 10.1097/00019514-200008020-00003.

    PubMed 10787504
  • Fanciullo GJ, Hanscom B, Weinstein JN, Chawarski MC, Jamison RN, Baird JC. Cluster analysis classification of SF-36 profiles for patients with spinal pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2003 Oct 1;28(19):2276-82. doi: 10.1097/01.BRS.0000084880.33281.EB.

    PubMed 14520044
  • Phillips FM, An H, Kang JD, Boden SD, Weinstein J. Biologic treatment for intervertebral disc degeneration: summary statement. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2003 Aug 1;28(15 Suppl):S99. doi: 10.1097/01.BRS.0000076906.82028.03.

    PubMed 12897482
  • Walsh TL, Hanscom B, Lurie JD, Weinstein JN. Is a condition-specific instrument for patients with low back pain/leg symptoms really necessary? The responsiveness of the Oswestry Disability Index, MODEMS, and the SF-36. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2003 Mar 15;28(6):607-15. doi: 10.1097/01.BRS.0000050654.97387.DF.

    PubMed 12642770
  • Weinstein JN, Lurie JD, Tosteson TD, Skinner JS, Hanscom B, Tosteson AN, Herkowitz H, Fischgrund J, Cammisa FP, Albert T, Deyo RA. Surgical vs nonoperative treatment for lumbar disk herniation: the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) observational cohort. JAMA. 2006 Nov 22;296(20):2451-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.296.20.2451.

    PubMed 17119141
  • Weinstein JN, Tosteson TD, Lurie JD, Tosteson AN, Hanscom B, Skinner JS, Abdu WA, Hilibrand AS, Boden SD, Deyo RA. Surgical vs nonoperative treatment for lumbar disk herniation: the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT): a randomized trial. JAMA. 2006 Nov 22;296(20):2441-50. doi: 10.1001/jama.296.20.2441.

    PubMed 17119140
  • Weinstein JN, Lurie JD, Tosteson TD, Tosteson AN, Blood EA, Abdu WA, Herkowitz H, Hilibrand A, Albert T, Fischgrund J. Surgical versus nonoperative treatment for lumbar disc herniation: four-year results for the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT). Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008 Dec 1;33(25):2789-800. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e31818ed8f4.

    PubMed 19018250
  • Tosteson AN, Skinner JS, Tosteson TD, Lurie JD, Andersson GB, Berven S, Grove MR, Hanscom B, Blood EA, Weinstein JN. The cost effectiveness of surgical versus nonoperative treatment for lumbar disc herniation over two years: evidence from the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT). Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008 Sep 1;33(19):2108-15. doi: 10.1097/brs.0b013e318182e390.

    PubMed 18777603
  • Tosteson AN, Tosteson TD, Lurie JD, Abdu W, Herkowitz H, Andersson G, Albert T, Bridwell K, Zhao W, Grove MR, Weinstein MC, Weinstein JN. Comparative effectiveness evidence from the spine patient outcomes research trial: surgical versus nonoperative care for spinal stenosis, degenerative spondylolisthesis, and intervertebral disc herniation. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Nov 15;36(24):2061-8. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e318235457b.

    PubMed 22048651
  • Desai A, Bekelis K, Ball PA, Lurie J, Mirza SK, Tosteson TD, Zhao W, Weinstein JN. Spine patient outcomes research trial: do outcomes vary across centers for surgery for lumbar disc herniation? Neurosurgery. 2012 Oct;71(4):833-42. doi: 10.1227/NEU.0b013e31826772cb.

    PubMed 22791040
  • Desai A, Ball PA, Bekelis K, Lurie J, Mirza SK, Tosteson TD, Zhao W, Weinstein JN. Surgery for lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis in Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial: does incidental durotomy affect outcome? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012 Mar 1;37(5):406-13. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3182349bc5.

    PubMed 21971123
  • Olson PR, Lurie JD, Frymoyer J, Walsh T, Zhao W, Morgan TS, Abdu WA, Weinstein JN. Lumbar disc herniation in the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial: does educational attainment impact outcome? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Dec 15;36(26):2324-32. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e31820bfb9a.

    PubMed 21311402

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Diskectomy and Non-surgical treatments in people with Herniated Disc and Low Back Pain, run by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center at 13 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Aug 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 13 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Changes in health-related quality of life as measured by the SF-36 health status questionnaire (time frame: Baseline, 6 wks, 3 and 6 mos, Annually thereafter). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00000410, which also lists 13 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Aug 2015.

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