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KeratoconusNCT01403129

Keratoconus Detection by Ultrasound

An observational study of Keratoconus, run by Columbia University at 2 sites in 2 countries.

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

Keratoconus (KC) is a corneal disease which will in many cases ultimately require corneal transplantation to maintain vision. Early detection, which is not possible with current technology, would allow early treatment and prevent severe damage to KC corneas inadvertently operated upon for correction of vision. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 6 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Keratoconus
What is being tested?
Artemis Ultrasound Exam and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Exam
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
How many people
250 participants
Where
2 sitesin 2 countries
Study dates
Dec 2010to Jan 2020
Phase
Observational
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 6 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Study population: Patients presenting to CUMC associated physicians and the London Vision Clinic.

Who may be able to join

  • Clinical diagnosis of keratoconus (KC) or keratoconus-suspect
  • Blood relation of person with KC
  • Age-matched normal of KC subjects
  • Ability to sit still in front of ultrasound unit and lie on exam table

Who cannot join

  • Other eye disease

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 2 countries.

2 sites in 2 countries

United States1 site
  • Columbia University Medical Center

    New York, New York, 10032

Other trials in United States

United Kingdom1 site
  • London Vision Clinic

    London, England, W1G 7LA

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

Official title: Early Detection of Keratoconus Using Ultrasound

Keratoconus (KC) is a corneal disease which will in many cases ultimately require corneal transplantation to maintain vision. Early detection, which is not possible with current technology, would allow early treatment and prevent severe damage to KC corneas inadvertently operated upon for correction of vision. The investigators' aim is to combine measurements of different properties of the cornea to develop means for early detection of KC.

Read the detailed description

Keratoconus is the most common degenerative disease affecting the cornea. As keratoconus develops, the cornea thins and bulges. Eventually, a corneal transplant may be needed to maintain vision. In its earliest stages, the disease is particularly difficult to detect. This is of great importance to the corneal refractive surgeon because surgical treatment of a keratoconic cornea will weaken it and greatly accelerate the occurrence of symptoms. Early detection of keratoconus will benefit patients because of the recent development of methods for strengthening the corneal stroma and preventing disease progression.

The investigators have developed a technique based on the use of high resolution ultrasound for imaging the cornea and measuring the thickness of its component layers, including the epithelium and the stroma. In early keratoconus, as the anterior stromal surface begins to bulge forward, the epithelium will thin above the apex of the bulge and thicken around it, to maintain a smooth anterior surface. The investigators have also developed methods for characterizing the elastic properties of the cornea by inducing and measuring surface displacements in response to a pulse of acoustic radiation force.

The investigators' goal is to reduce the percentage of screened cases deemed keratoconus-suspect by at least a factor of two by allowing an unambiguous diagnosis of early keratoconus. This would provide two major benefits; (1) to be able to predict eyes with higher risk of developing ectasia after corneal refractive surgery, and (2) early diagnosis would allow earlier treatment of the condition with collagen crosslinking, preserving the cornea from disease progression.

Conditions
Keratoconus
Being tested
Artemis Ultrasound Exam, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Exam
Keywords
keratoconus, keratoconus-suspect, ultrasound exam, acoustic radiation force ultrasound exam
Medical subject headings
Keratoconus

What participants receive

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

  • Artemis Ultrasound ExamProcedure or surgery

    Also called Ultrasound biomicroscope (UBM), High frequency ultrasound

    Ultrasound exam of both eyes using an Artemis-2 device. Exam will be performed once. Exam duration is 20 minutes per eye.

  • Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) ExamProcedure or surgery

    Also called OCT

    OCT exam of both eyes. Exam will be performed once, duration is 10. I utes per eye.

Study groups in NCT01403129
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Keratoconus-SuspectA person who has or is suspected of having keratoconus. Will have either or both Artemis-2 exam and OCT exam.
Receives: Procedure: Artemis Ultrasound Exam; Procedure: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Exam
Keratoconus-RelatedA person who is genetically related to someone with keratoconus. Will have either or both Artemis-2 exam and OCT exam.
Receives: Procedure: Artemis Ultrasound Exam; Procedure: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Exam
Age-Matched NormalA person who is approximately the same age as subjects who have been enrolled in the study. Will have either or both Artemis-2 exam and OCT exam.
Receives: Procedure: Artemis Ultrasound Exam; Procedure: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Exam

What is being measured

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

  1. Differences in elastic parameters between normal and KC corneas.

    The undamped vibrational frequency and damping time-constant for the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces and for Bowman's membrane will be measured. The elastic modulus will be calculated form the change in corneal thickness resulting from known radiation force.

    Measured: Up to 1 year after enrollment

Timeline

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

  1. First posted27 Jul 2011 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2010
  3. Primary completionJan 2020
  4. Study completionJan 2020

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrolment
250 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01403129
Sponsor's protocol ID
AAAF1497
Other IDs
R01EY019055
Status last verified
Aug 2021
First submitted
25 Jul 2011
Last updated
3 Aug 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Urs R, Lloyd HO, Silverman RH. Acoustic radiation force for noninvasive evaluation of corneal biomechanical changes induced by cross-linking therapy. J Ultrasound Med. 2014 Aug;33(8):1417-26. doi: 10.7863/ultra.33.8.1417.

    PubMed 25063407
  • Silverman RH, Urs R, Roychoudhury A, Archer TJ, Gobbe M, Reinstein DZ. Epithelial remodeling as basis for machine-based identification of keratoconus. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014 Mar 13;55(3):1580-7. doi: 10.1167/iovs.13-12578.

    PubMed 24557351
  • Ursea R, Feng M, Urs R, RoyChoudhury A, Silverman RH. Comparison of artemis 2 ultrasound and Visante optical coherence tomography corneal thickness profiles. J Refract Surg. 2013 Jan;29(1):36-41. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20121126-01. Epub 2012 Nov 30.

    PubMed 23205905
  • Urs R, Lloyd HO, Reinstein DZ, Silverman RH. Comparison of very-high-frequency ultrasound and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography corneal and epithelial thickness maps. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2016 Jan;42(1):95-101. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrs.2015.07.038.

    PubMed 26948783
  • Reinstein DZ, Archer TJ, Urs R, Gobbe M, RoyChoudhury A, Silverman RH. Detection of Keratoconus in Clinically and Algorithmically Topographically Normal Fellow Eyes Using Epithelial Thickness Analysis. J Refract Surg. 2015 Nov;31(11):736-44. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20151021-02.

    PubMed 26544561
  • Reinstein DZ, Yap TE, Archer TJ, Gobbe M, Silverman RH. Comparison of Corneal Epithelial Thickness Measurement Between Fourier-Domain OCT and Very High-Frequency Digital Ultrasound. J Refract Surg. 2015 Jul;31(7):438-45. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20150623-01.

    PubMed 26186562
  • Silverman RH, Urs R, RoyChoudhury A, Archer TJ, Gobbe M, Reinstein DZ. Combined tomography and epithelial thickness mapping for diagnosis of keratoconus. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2017 Mar 10;27(2):129-134. doi: 10.5301/ejo.5000850. Epub 2016 Aug 8.

    PubMed 27515569

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Keratoconus, run by Columbia University at 2 sites in 2 countries.

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 1 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 3 Aug 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in United States, United Kingdom. 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.

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?

Differences in elastic parameters between normal and KC corneas. (time frame: Up to 1 year after enrollment). 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 NCT01403129, which also lists 7 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 3 Aug 2021.

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