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Essential TremorPhase 1NCT01698450

Magnetic Resonance (MR) Guided Functional Ultrasound-Neurosurgery for Movement Disorders

A Phase 1 study testing Non-invasive intervention with focused ultrasound (ExAblate 4000) in people with Essential Tremor and Dystonia, run by University Children's Hospital, Zurich at 1 site in Switzerland.

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

The aim of this study is to asses the efficacy and the clinical safety of the transcranial magnetic resonance guided high intensity focused ultrasound system ExAblate 4000, InSightec Ltd. for functional neurosurgery in the treatment of movement disorders. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Essential Tremor, Dystonia, Parkinson's Disease
What is being tested?
Non-invasive intervention with focused ultrasound (ExAblate 4000)
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
10 participants
Where
1 siteSwitzerland
Study dates
Nov 2012to Dec 2013
Phase
Phase 1
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 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Men and women, between 18 and 80 years, inclusive.
  • Patients who are able and willing to give consent and able to attend all study visits.
  • A diagnosis of a MD, such as Essential Tremor (ET), Idiopathic Parkinson's diseases or primary Dystonia as confirmed from clinical history and examination by a movement disorder neurologist.
  • A MD refractory to adequate medical treatment, or in whom the indication for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) would be given, but DBS cannot be performed because of medical comorbidities or medical reasons, or because the patient clearly confirms by written statement that he does not want to undergo DBS for personal reasons (PD: increasing motor fluctuations albeit optimal medical treatment \& unbearable side effects of medication; ET: failure of adequate tremor control with Propranolol and Primidone alone and in combination; Dystonia: dystonia or pain not controlled by oral medication). An adequate medication trial is defined as a therapeutic dose of each medication or the development of side effects as the medication dose is titrated.
  • Either the medial thalamic nuclei or the subthalamic or pallidal areas can be target by the ExAblate device. The target region must be apparent on MRI such that targeting can be performed with either direct visualization or by measurement from landmarks, using the "Stereotactic Atlas of the Human Thalamus and Basal Ganglia" by Anne Morel, 39 analogous to our first clinical FUS study on patients with chronic pain 33.
  • Able to communicate sensations during the ExAblate MRgFUS treatment
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  • Stable doses of all medications for 30 days prior to study entry and for the duration of the study.
  • Significant disability due to MD despite medical treatment (speaking, feeding other than liquids, bringing liquids to mouth, hygiene, dressing, writing, working, and social activities)
  • Inclusion and exclusion criteria have been agreed upon by two members of the medical team.

Who cannot join

  • Patients with unstable cardiac status including:
  • Unstable angina pectoris on medication
  • Patients with documented myocardial infarction within six months of protocol entry
  • Congestive heart failure requiring medication (other than diuretic)
  • Patients on anti-arrhythmic drugs
  • Patients exhibiting any behavior(s) consistent with ethanol or substance abuse as defined by the criteria outlined in the DSM-IV as manifested by one (or more) of the following occurring within a 12 month period:
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  • Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home (such as repeated absences or poor work performance related to substance use; substance-related absences, suspensions, or expulsions from school; or neglect of children or household).
  • Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous (such as driving an automobile or operating a machine when impaired by substance use)
  • Recurrent substance-related legal problems (such as arrests for substance related disorderly conduct)
  • Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance (for example, arguments with spouse about consequences of intoxication and physical fights).
  • Severe hypertension (diastolic BP > 100 on medication)
  • Patients with standard contraindications for MR imaging such as non-MRI compatible implanted metallic devices including cardiac pacemakers, size limitations, etc.
  • Known intolerance or allergies to the MRI contrast agent (e.g. Gadolinium) including advanced kidney disease
  • Severely impaired renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 45ml/min/ 1.73 m2) or receiving dialysis
  • History of abnormal bleeding and/or coagulopathy
  • Receiving anticoagulant (e.g. warfarin) or antiplatelet (e.g. aspirin) therapy within one week of focused ultrasound procedure or drugs known to increase risk or hemorrhage (e.g. Avastin) within one month of focused ultrasound procedure
  • Active or suspected acute or chronic uncontrolled infection
  • History of intracranial hemorrhage
  • Cerebrovascular disease (multiple CVA or CVA within 6 months)
  • Individuals who are not able or willing to tolerate the required prolonged stationary supine position during treatment (can be up to 4 hrs of total table time.)
  • Symptoms and signs of increased intracranial pressure (e.g. headache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and papilledema)
  • Participation in another clinical trial in the last 30 days
  • Patients unable to communicate with the investigator and staff.
  • Presence of any other neurodegenerative disease like Parkinson-plus syndromes suspected on neurological examination. These include: multisystem atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Alzheimer's disease.
  • Presence of significant cognitive impairment as determined with a score ≤ 24 on the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE)
  • Compromised Immune System, including HIV positive serum status
  • Known life-threatening systemic disease
  • Patients with a history of seizures within the past year
  • Patients with current or a prior history of any psychiatric illness will be excluded. Any presence or history of psychosis will be excluded. Patients with a significant mood disorders including depression will be excluded. For the purpose of this study, we consider a significant mood disorder to include any patient who has:
  • been under the care of a psychiatrist for over 3 months
  • taken antidepressant medications for greater than 6 months
  • has participated in cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • been hospitalized for the treatment of a psychiatric illness
  • received transcranial magnetic stimulation
  • received electroconvulsive therapy
  • Patients with risk factors for intraoperative or postoperative bleeding (platelet count less than 100,000 per cubic millimeter, PT > 14, PTT > 36 or INR > 1.3) or a documented coagulopathy
  • Patients with brain tumors
  • Any illness that in the investigator's opinion preclude participation in this study.
  • Pregnancy or lactation.
  • Legal incapacity or limited legal capacity.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Switzerland1 site
  • MR-Center, University Children's Hospital

    Zurich, Canton of Zurich

Other trials in Switzerland

About this study

Official title: MR-Guided Functional Ultrasound-Neurosurgery for Movement Disorders

The aim of this study is to asses the efficacy and the clinical safety of the transcranial magnetic resonance guided high intensity focused ultrasound system ExAblate 4000, InSightec Ltd. for functional neurosurgery in the treatment of movement disorders. The treatments to be conducted in this study are non-invasive, i.e. without opening the skull, and will create microthalamotomies in specific target areas such as thalamus, subthalamus and pallidum. The data obtained in this study will be used to evaluate the basic safety aspects of this new treatment technology and will serve as a basis for the clinical introduction of MR-guided ultrasound neurosurgery.

Being tested
Non-invasive intervention with focused ultrasound (ExAblate 4000)
Keywords
FUS, focused ultrasound, functional brain disorder, neuropathic pain, movement disorders, malignant brain tumors
Medical subject headings
Essential Tremor, Dystonia, Parkinson Disease, Neuralgia, Movement Disorders

What participants receive

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

  • Non-invasive intervention with focused ultrasound (ExAblate 4000)Device

    Also called ExAblate 4000

    Non-invasive brain intervention using MR-guided focused ultrasound

Study groups in NCT01698450
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Focused Ultrasound for Movement DisordersOtherNot described
Receives: Device: Non-invasive intervention with focused ultrasound (ExAblate 4000)

What is being measured

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

  1. Lesion Size

    Size of lesion in the target area for each sonication as a function of applied energy/temperature.

    Measured: 3 months

  2. Patient Safety

    Number of Patients with Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability.

    Measured: 3 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Clinical efficacy and QOL

    Efficacy and QOL will be quantified on respective rating scales (specified in protocol).

    Measured: 3 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted3 Oct 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startNov 2012
  3. Primary completionDec 2013
  4. Study completionDec 2013

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 1
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
10 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01698450
Sponsor's protocol ID
EK: 2012-0027
Status last verified
Oct 2014
First submitted
2 Jul 2012
Last updated
9 Oct 2014
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Non-invasive intervention with focused ultrasound (ExAblate 4000) in people with Essential Tremor and Dystonia, run by University Children's Hospital, Zurich at 1 site in Switzerland.

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 9 inclusion and 40 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 9 Oct 2014. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. 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 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

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?

Lesion Size (time frame: 3 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 9 Oct 2014.

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