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InfertilityNCT02437435

Physiotherapy Treatment for Uterine Blood Flow Improved Dimensional Ultrasound Evaluated With Angiography

A study testing Reproductive Technique Gimilio in people with Infertility, run by University of Valencia at 1 site in Spain.

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

Ivanovski shows that by studying the vascular impedance can calculate the optimal uterine receptivity in IVF. A reduced vascular resistance and increased blood flow rate improves the chance of pregnancy. Dr. Luis T. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age, women only
Conditions the study is for
Infertility
What is being tested?
Reproductive Technique Gimilio
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
54 participants
Where
1 siteSpain
Study dates
1 Aug 2018to 20 Jan 2020
Phase
Interventional
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 Any age
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Women with hypoestrogenemia and menopausia, being estrogen levels below 20 pg / ml (demonstrated by hormone analysis).
  • Women with morphologically normal uterus.
  • Women without hormonal treatment of any kind.

Who cannot join

  • Patients with any disease in which manipulative therapy is contraindicated. (Contraindicated in the description of the technique)
  • Patients with obesity IMC≥30 kg / m2.
  • High pain to abdominal palpation.
  • Pregnant patients.
  • Patients with bleeding disorders.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Spain1 site
  • Catholic University of Valencia

    Torrent, Valencia, 46900

Other trials in Spain

About this study

Official title: Effectiveness of Physiotherapy Treatment to Improve the Flow on Vascular Area of the Endometrial / Subendometrial in Uterus of Infertile Women With Hypoestrogenemia Evaluated by Three-dimensional Ultrasound Angiography.

Ivanovski shows that by studying the vascular impedance can calculate the optimal uterine receptivity in IVF. A reduced vascular resistance and increased blood flow rate improves the chance of pregnancy.

Dr. Luis T. Mercé says: "After evaluating 40 cycles of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) have found that the pregnancy rates increases with increasing endometrial volume. It has also advocated that the endometrial blood flow better reflects uterine receptivity, since the endometrium is where will take place the embryo implantation. Merce also claims to have found that the pregnancy rate increases with increasing endometrial volume and no pregnancies were achieved with endometrial volume less than 3 ml.

Read more

These statements motivate us to perform a research project to monitor changes that occur in the uterine endometrial vascularization and subendomertial vascularization after applying a manual physiotherapic technique in menopausal women.

Various authors report that by osteopathic techniques applied on visceral structures, vascular flow rate of the treated bodies increased.

In the literature there are not articles on the subject at hand, but there are references to the manual techniques in the treatment of women with infertility where they state that the manual action for lymphatic congestion in the pelvic region facilitates pregnancy in women infertile.

The practice of visceral osteopathy offers the possibility of accessing the treatment of uterine functional disorders, as well as structures such as uterine ligaments. They influence the fluidic efficiency of uterine arteriovenous system. According to Salamon E., W. Zhu and Stefano GB., provides enough tools to improve the movement of fluids and uterine vascularization.

Read the detailed description

Introduction Menopause, mark the end of the reproductive period of women. It is a normal part of aging due to decreased production of estrogen and progesterone, associated with the loss of reproductive capacity, having appeared between 48 and 54 years.

Note the difference between menopause and climateric, being climacteric period when the woman has the disappearance of their reproductive function, as well as changes in the secretion of sex hormones, who determining overall change in the body.

Climateric is a sign within the phenomena occurring during menopause. Menopause is the period from 3 to 5 years with symptoms that reflect the beginning of the cessation of ovarian function and postmenopausal between 7 and 10 years. Found indices FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) elevated in early follicular phase, being> 40 IU / L45, the follicular phase of the cycle is shortened, the levels of estradiol and after inhibin folículoestatina decrease, and luteinizing hormone (LH) also increase, but less so than before. During menopause, the ovarian follicles stop responding to FSH and LH, and estradiol drops below 20 pg / mL. Progesterone is clinically undetectable and no disappear menstruation. Hypoestrogenemia, that is the deficit of estrogen levels below 20 pg / ml occurs. The postmenopausal ovary is not an inactive body as it continues to produce both estrogen and androstenedione, although in minimal amounts. Clinical studies suggest that 20 to 50% of postmenopausal women has estrogen levels indicative of follicular activity during the first 6-12 months after the cessation of menstruation.

HYPOTHESIS AND OBJECTIVES

-Hypothesis: Physiotherapy manual techniques improves the uterine vascularization.

-Objectives:

Fundamental objective:

  • Quantify the changes that occur in the vascularization index (IV)

Secondary objectives:

  • Quantify the changes that occur in vascular indices of endometrial and subendometrial flow Doppler angiography, after running the physiotherapy technique.
  • Quantify the changes occurring in the flow rate of the uterine artery (right and left), both before and after running the physiotherapy technique.
  • Quantify the longitudinal vascularization measure endometrial / subendometrial and valuing amount of endometrial / subendometrial, both before and after the physiotherapy technique.
  • Measure by 3D ultrasound of total uterine volume, both before and after running the physiotherapy technique.

PATIENTS AND METHODS The study population will be infertile women with hypoestrogenemia.

Inclusion criteria:

  • Women with hypoestrogenemia and menopausia, being estrogen levels below 20 pg / ml (demonstrated by hormone analysis).
  • Women with morphologically normal uterus.
  • Women without hormonal treatment of any kind.

Exclusion criteria:

  • Patients with any disease in which manipulative therapy is contraindicated. (Contraindicated in the description of the technique)
  • Patients with obesity IMC≥30 kg / m2.
  • High pain to abdominal palpation.
  • Pregnant patients.
  • Patients with bleeding disorders.

Sample size:

Given that the primary endpoint of the study is the histogram vascularization index, and according to the estimate by the statistic department of the IVI, the "n" of the study is 52 patients.

All patients are one-sided test for paired samples t. The level of significance is 95% and 80% power.

ANALYSIS:

The results are presented in Excel tables of continuous data, means and standard deviations, which will be interpreted by Dr. Garrido, a member of the research team in charge of statistical analysis.

Methodology Study Design: Prospective experimental intervention study, double blind, paired samples in order to determine the benefit of a medical application technique.

Work plan:

  1. Recruitment of patients
  2. Study of basal uterine vascularization by Doppler ultrasound prior of the osteopathic technique. The application of ultrasound technique will always performed by the same specialist gynecologist of Doppler (VSS) ultrasound. The scanner is calibrated so that all women are valued with the same calibration.
  3. Conducting osteopathic technique. The technique of stretching of the uterine ligaments externally and the rest of the technique together in one technique and applied in a single clinical session will be held. The duration of the execution of the technique, as proposed, will be 30 minutes.
  4. Re-evaluation of the uterine vascularization by ultrasound-Doppler after the osteopathic technique. Ultrasound measured is performed within 5 minutes after the execution of the physiotherapeutical technique.
  5. Interpretation, with 4DView profram VOCAL, of the obtained volumes of measuring uterine endometrial vascular.
  6. Statistical analysis of the data

COSTS OF STUDY:

The research is sponsored by the Juana Crespo's Clinic, so that all costs of patient recruitment and application of diagnostic techniques do not entail direct expenditure on research.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF ULTRASOUND:

The Doppler application of ultrasound, is an special ultrasound that measures the direction and speed of blood cells as they move through vessels. The movement of blood cells causes a change in pitch of the reflected sound waves (called the Doppler effect). A computer collects and processes the sounds and creates graphs or color pictures that represent the flow through blood vessels.

There is now a new diagnostic methodology, multiplanar volumetric three-dimensional ultrasound technique. This new method, using the available computing resources, allows the observation in different spatial planes (axial, sagittal and coronal) from obtaining volumes of anatomical structures, being the closest thing to a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and facilitating the exploration in two stages, where first is done catch volumes and, in a second time, would be processed and report, it does not require that the probe is connected to be a (4D-View) program that allows working on the data from the computer. Therefore, these new diagnostic techniques using ultrasound Doppler will serve to objectify the potential benefits of the osteopathic techniques.

The ultrasound technique that will be used for the diagnosis of the uterine vascularization is:

  1. study using colored transvaginal Doppler ultrasound of right and left uterine arteries, for measuring the resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), peak systolic flow velocity (PSV), flow rate end-diastolic (EDV) and the maximum flow rate (TAmax: time Averaged Maximum Velocity) (these last three parameters after correction of the angle of incidence between the beam and uterine artery Doppler).
  2. Multiplanar Ultrasound 3D and three-dimensional ultrasound angiography (powerDoppler) next to the Quick Tools VOCAL (Virtual OrganComputer-AidedAnalysis), for the study of endometrial volume and rates of endometrial vascularization and subendometrial generated from the histogram data of angiography 3D Doppler.
  • Index Vascularization (IV).
  • Index Flow (IF).
  • index Vascularization flow (IFV).

Three-dimensional ultrasound is equipped with a computer software to measure the volumes generated waves. The best known and reported program is called VOCAL, an acronym derived from the first letters of the English words Virtual Organ Computer-aided Analysis. Not with standing the VOCAL acronyms it can also be interpreted as calculation of volume, VOlumeCALculation Saxon words. This method allows to delimit the volumes of a region of interest using a rotational method.

We will use Doppler ultrasound, transvaginal application to assess the following variables:

  • Primary variable (or dependent): -Endometrial/subendometrial Vascularization Index (VI).
  • Explanatory variables that could change or influence the behavior of key variables are included in the exclusion criteria.
  • Control variables (dependent):
  • Resistance index (RI) of both uterine arteries. It is an independent measurement of the angle of the ultrasound beam. It is calculated as:
  • pulsatility index (IP) of both uterine arteries.
  • Average maximum flow rate (TAmax) of both uterine arteries. Angle correction required.
  • peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end diastolic velocity (EDV) of both uterine arteries. Angle correction required.
  • endometrial / subendometrial vascular map, evaluated qualitatively: the absence / presence of vessels.
  • endometrial volume obtained with the VOCAL application from multiplanar sections of the uterus.
  • Histogram of 3D angiography:
  • Index Of endometrial and subendometrial flow (IF).
  • Index Vascular flow (IFV).

DESCRIPTION PHYSIOTHERAPEUTICAL MANUAL TECHNIQUE The place where the event will take will be a table equipped with the ultrasound equipement and prepared for measurement, always accompanied by the same sonographer gynecologist, for all women involved in the study.

With the patient supine and lower limb triple flexion resting your feet on the table, put the left hand controlling the bent legs and the right hand, having caught a fold of skin, making contact on the uterine body. Both hands caught withdrawal into the uterine body, one on one with the right arm fixed extendidos. Right hand in uterus, while the left hand, with the levers of the lower limbs, combine parameters lateroflexion-rotation of the lumbar spine for improve stretching the uterine ligaments, repeating the movement until tissue relaxation. Subsequently we conducted a zigzag caudo-cranial massage anteroposterior making a push (Global hemodynamic maneuver) and finally we carried out an anteroposterior pumping on the uterine body generating positive and negative pressures.

The therapist's hand will keep in touch at all times on the suprapubic region of the patient.

Conditions
Infertility
Being tested
Reproductive Technique Gimilio, Placebo Intervention
Keywords
assisted reproduction, physical therapy, manual therapy, uterine artery, Vascularization Index (VI), Doppler ultrasonography, vocal
Medical subject headings
Infertility

What participants receive

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

  • Reproductive Technique GimilioOther

    Also called Uterine Vascular Technique of Gimilio

    Patient supine, legs in triple flexion, feet on table, controlling legs left hand and right hand bent on uterine body contact.

    Both hands catch utero withdrawal into one on another with arms outstretched. Fixed uterus right hand, left hand, with levers legs combines lateroflexion-rotation parameters of lumbar spine to improve uterine ligaments stretch, repeat technique to tissue relaxation. Then perform massage-cranial caudo zigzag with anteroposterior thrust. (overall hemodynamic maneuver). Finally do anteroposterior pumping about uterine body generating positive and negative pressures.

    Hand therapist will keep in touch at all times on the suprapubic region of the patient.

  • Placebo InterventionOther

    Also called Placebo Intervention technique

    Patient supine, legs in triple flexion, feet on table. Physical Therapist take contact with his right hand in patient's belly for 5 minutes, without any movement.

Study groups in NCT02437435
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Reproductive Technique GimilioExperimentalPatient supine, legs in triple flexion, feet on table, controlling legs left hand and right hand bent on uterine body contact. Both hands catch utero withdrawal into one on another with arms outstretched. Fixed uterus right hand, left hand, with levers legs combines lateroflexion-rotation parameters of lumbar spine to improve uterine ligaments stretch, repeat technique to tissue relaxation. Then perform massage-cranial caudo zigzag with anteroposterior thrust. (overall hemodynamic maneuver). Finally do anteroposterior pumping about uterine body generating positive and negative pressures. Hand therapist will keep in touch at all times on the suprapubic region of the patient.
Receives: Other: Reproductive Technique Gimilio
Placebo InterventionPlacebo comparatorThe researcher puts his right hand on the right shoulder of the patient for 20 times Metronome.
Receives: Other: Placebo Intervention

What is being measured

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

  1. Increased uterine vascular flow after application of the Reproductive Physioterapeutic Technique.

    Measured: 5 minutes after application of Reproductive Therapy Technique Gimilio

Timeline

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

  1. First posted7 May 2015 (estimated)
  2. Study start1 Aug 2018
  3. Primary completion1 Jun 2019
  4. Study completion20 Jan 2020

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
54 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02437435
Sponsor's protocol ID
1406-VLC-044-CG-
Other IDs
1406-VLC-044-CG
Status last verified
Nov 2022
First submitted
15 Apr 2015
Last updated
1 Dec 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Jones HW Jr, Cooke I, Kempers R, Brinsden P, Saunders D. International Federation of Fertility Societies Surveillance 2010: preface. Fertil Steril. 2011 Feb;95(2):491. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2010.08.011.

    PubMed 20813358
  • Faddy MJ, Gosden RG, Gougeon A, Richardson SJ, Nelson JF. Accelerated disappearance of ovarian follicles in mid-life: implications for forecasting menopause. Hum Reprod. 1992 Nov;7(10):1342-6. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a137570.

    PubMed 1291557
  • Budak E, Garrido N, Soares SR, Melo MA, Meseguer M, Pellicer A, Remohi J. Improvements achieved in an oocyte donation program over a 10-year period: sequential increase in implantation and pregnancy rates and decrease in high-order multiple pregnancies. Fertil Steril. 2007 Aug;88(2):342-9. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.11.118. Epub 2007 Feb 28.

    PubMed 17335819
  • Remohi J, Gallardo E, Guanes PP, Simon C, Pellicer A. Donor-recipient synchronization and the use of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists to avoid the premature luteinizing hormone surge in oocyte donation. Hum Reprod. 1995 Dec;10 Suppl 2:84-90. doi: 10.1093/humrep/10.suppl_2.84.

    PubMed 8745305
  • El-Mazny A, Abou-Salem N, Elshenoufy H. Three-dimensional power Doppler study of endometrial and subendometrial microvascularization in women with intrauterine device-induced menorrhagia. Fertil Steril. 2013 Jun;99(7):1912-5. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.01.151. Epub 2013 Mar 7.

    PubMed 23465819
  • Wurn BF, Wurn LJ, King CR, Heuer MA, Roscow AS, Scharf ES, Shuster JJ. Treating female infertility and improving IVF pregnancy rates with a manual physical therapy technique. MedGenMed. 2004 Jun 18;6(2):51.

    PubMed 15266276
  • Mercier J, Miller K. Mercier therapy helps infertile women achieve pregnancy. Midwifery Today Int Midwife. 2013 Spring;(105):40, 68. No abstract available.

    PubMed 23581202
  • Nelson KE, Sergueef N, Glonek T. The effect of an alternative medical procedure upon low-frequency oscillations in cutaneous blood flow velocity. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2006 Oct;29(8):626-36. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2006.08.007.

    PubMed 17045096
  • Ivanovski M, Damcevski N, Radevska B, Doicev G. Assessment of uterine artery and arcuate artery blood flow by transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration as predictors of pregnancy in an in vitro fertilization program. Akush Ginekol (Sofiia). 2012;51(2):55-60.

    PubMed 23234017
  • Raine-Fenning NJ, Campbell BK, Clewes JS, Kendall NR, Johnson IR. The reliability of virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) for the semiquantification of ovarian, endometrial and subendometrial perfusion. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Dec;22(6):633-9. doi: 10.1002/uog.923.

    PubMed 14689538
  • Ely JW, Kennedy CM, Clark EC, Bowdler NC. Abnormal uterine bleeding: a management algorithm. J Am Board Fam Med. 2006 Nov-Dec;19(6):590-602. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.19.6.590.

    PubMed 17090792
  • Maulik D, Yarlagadda P, Youngblood JP, Ciston P. Comparative efficacy of umbilical arterial Doppler indices for predicting adverse perinatal outcome. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1991 Jun;164(6 Pt 1):1434-9; discussion 1439-40. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(91)91421-r.

    PubMed 2048589
  • Erskine RL, Ritchie JW. Umbilical artery blood flow characteristics in normal and growth-retarded fetuses. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1985 Jun;92(6):605-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1985.tb01399.x.

    PubMed 4005201
  • Koster K, Poulsen Nautrup C, Gunzel-Apel AR. A Doppler ultrasonographic study of cyclic changes of ovarian perfusion in the Beagle bitch. Reproduction. 2001 Sep;122(3):453-61. doi: 10.1530/rep.0.1220453.

    PubMed 11597310
  • Oldenhave A, Netelenbos C. Pathogenesis of climacteric complaints: ready for the change? Lancet. 1994 Mar 12;343(8898):649-53. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(94)92641-7. No abstract available.

    PubMed 7906816

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Reproductive Technique Gimilio in people with Infertility, run by University of Valencia at 1 site in Spain.

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 3 inclusion and 5 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 1 Dec 2022. 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 Spain. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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?

Increased uterine vascular flow after application of the Reproductive Physioterapeutic Technique. (time frame: 5 minutes after application of Reproductive Therapy Technique Gimilio). 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 NCT02437435, which also lists 19 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 1 Dec 2022.

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