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Liver CirrhosesNCT04131205

Role of MRI in Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

An observational study of Liver Cirrhoses and Hepatic Encephalopathy, run by University Medical Centre Ljubljana at 1 site in Slovenia.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Introduction Liver cirrhosis (LC) is irreversible fibrosis of the liver (1) and it remains a public health problem. One of the complications of the cirrhosis is hepatic encephalopathy (HE) which is defined as brain dysfunction caused by liver insufficiency. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 85 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Liver Cirrhoses, Hepatic Encephalopathy
What is being tested?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
How many people
40 participants
Where
1 siteSlovenia
Study dates
1 Jun 2019to 1 Jun 2023
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 18 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: We will include 10-20 patients of both genders with signs of hepatic encephalopathy and 10-20 patients of both genders without HE. Diagnosis of HE will be made based on results of validated neuropsychiatric test. Age-matched and gender-matched control group with no gastrointestinal, neurological or psychiatric complaints and normal levels of ammonia in the blood.

Who may be able to join

  • Known liver disease/cirrhosis

Who cannot join

  • Pregnancy, non compatible material with MRI

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Gasper Zupan, M.D. contact

0038615437826

gasper.zupan@mf.uni-lj.si

Sebastian Stefanovic, M.D. contact

sebastian.stefanovic@gmail.com

Slovenia1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana

    Ljubljana, 1000

    Sebastian Stefanovic, M.D., 0038615224166, sebastian.stefanovic@gmail.com

    Marjana Turk Jerovsek, M.D., 0038615224166, marjanca88@gmail.com

    Recruiting

Other trials in Slovenia

About this study

Official title: Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Detection of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

Introduction Liver cirrhosis (LC) is irreversible fibrosis of the liver (1) and it remains a public health problem. One of the complications of the cirrhosis is hepatic encephalopathy (HE) which is defined as brain dysfunction caused by liver insufficiency. Pathophysiological mechanisms of HE are complex and multifactorial. Recognition of beginning stages of HE, such as minimal HE (mHE) is of most importance.

Objectives and originality of the project Diagnosis of mHE can be challenging, time-consuming and, at least to some extent, subjective. This project will assess the role of magnetic resonance (MR) in mHE diagnosis with emphasis on multimodal imaging technique. With advanced magnetic resonance (MR) techniques, in-vivo detection of intracellular water content, estimation pH and metabolites levels with millimolar concentrations can be easily performed. This will offer to explore possible pathophysiological mechanisms of HE and to evaluate the results from previous, studies that were mainly performed on animal models or cell cultures.

Read more

By our best knowledge, multimodal MR approach as the investigators propose in this application has not been yet performed. The investigators will use advanced MR techniques which are currently not available in the clinical setting and require multicenter collaboration.

Methods The investigators will include 10-20 patients of both genders with hyperammonemia and mHE and 10-20 patients of both genders with HE. Diagnosis of HE will be made based on results of validated neuropsychiatric test. Age-matched and gender-matched control group with no gastrointestinal, neurological or psychiatric complaints and normal levels of ammonia in the blood. Patients with mHE/HE will be included from outpatient clinic of the Department of gastroenterology, University Medical Centre (UMC) Ljubljana. Healthy controls (HC) will be invited to join via internet advertisement. Contraindications for HC will include gastrointestinal (emphasis on liver disease), neurological or psychiatric complaints. Grade of mHE/HE will be classified according to West-Haven (WH) classification. Patients with different degree of liver cirrhosis, which will be scored with the Child-Pugh (CP) score, and with no contraindications for MR (e.g. presence of metal in body) will be included. Blood levels of liver enzymes and ammonia will be measured in all participants. MR scanning will include: T1- and T2-weighted MR, MRS (MEGA-PRESS and PRESS) in two voxels: striatum and cerebellum. Location will be double-checked by voxel position screenshots. Analysis, with voxel-positioning error compensation will be performed in Gannet (www.gabamrs.com). Moreover, high resolution diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) will be performed in brain as well. Liver QSM will be executed to assess iron load.

Being tested
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Medical subject headings
Hepatic Encephalopathy

What participants receive

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

  • Magnetic Resonance ImagingDiagnostic test

    Also called Ammonia Levels, Child Pugh Score, West-Haven grade of Hepatic Encephalopathy

    We will assess the role of magnetic resonance (MR) in mHE diagnosis with emphasis on multimodal imaging technique

Study groups in NCT04131205
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Minimal Hepatic EncephalopathyPatients with hyperammonemia and minimal hepatic encephalopathy
Receives: Diagnostic Test: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
ControlHealthy controls
Receives: Diagnostic Test: Magnetic Resonance Imaging

What is being measured

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

  1. Structural and Functional Changes in Brain Structures with Magnetic Resonance Imaging

    GABA levels and other neurotransmitters with respect to the tissue water signal and corrected for tissue composition.

    Measured: 2 hours

Timeline

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

  1. First posted18 Oct 2019
  2. Study start1 Jun 2019
  3. Primary completion1 Jun 2023 (estimated)
  4. Study completion1 Jun 2023 (estimated)

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
Prospective
Enrolment
40 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04131205
Sponsor's protocol ID
HepaticEncephalopathy
Status last verified
Oct 2019
First submitted
15 Oct 2019
Last updated
18 Oct 2019
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases; European Association for the Study of the Liver. Hepatic encephalopathy in chronic liver disease: 2014 practice guideline by the European Association for the Study of the Liver and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. J Hepatol. 2014 Sep;61(3):642-59. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2014.05.042. Epub 2014 Jul 8. No abstract available.

    PubMed 25015420
  • Bartolic M, Vovk A, Suput D. Effects of NH4CL application and removal on astrocytes and endothelial cells. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2016 Aug 23;21:13. doi: 10.1186/s11658-016-0011-3. eCollection 2016.

    PubMed 28536616
  • Binesh N, Huda A, Bugbee M, Gupta R, Rasgon N, Kumar A, Green M, Han S, Thomas MA. Adding another spectral dimension to 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy of hepatic encephalopathy. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2005 Apr;21(4):398-405. doi: 10.1002/jmri.20291.

    PubMed 15779041
  • Blachier M, Leleu H, Peck-Radosavljevic M, Valla DC, Roudot-Thoraval F. The burden of liver disease in Europe: a review of available epidemiological data. J Hepatol. 2013 Mar;58(3):593-608. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2012.12.005.

    PubMed 23419824
  • Bustamante J, Rimola A, Ventura PJ, Navasa M, Cirera I, Reggiardo V, Rodes J. Prognostic significance of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis. J Hepatol. 1999 May;30(5):890-5. doi: 10.1016/s0168-8278(99)80144-5.

    PubMed 10365817
  • Chavarria L, Alonso J, Garcia-Martinez R, Simon-Talero M, Ventura-Cots M, Ramirez C, Torrens M, Vargas V, Rovira A, Cordoba J. Brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy in episodic hepatic encephalopathy. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2013 Feb;33(2):272-7. doi: 10.1038/jcbfm.2012.173. Epub 2012 Nov 21.

    PubMed 23168529
  • Dale AM, Fischl B, Sereno MI. Cortical surface-based analysis. I. Segmentation and surface reconstruction. Neuroimage. 1999 Feb;9(2):179-94. doi: 10.1006/nimg.1998.0395.

    PubMed 9931268
  • Elwir S, Rahimi RS. Hepatic Encephalopathy: An Update on the Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Options. J Clin Transl Hepatol. 2017 Jun 28;5(2):142-151. doi: 10.14218/JCTH.2016.00069. Epub 2017 May 4.

    PubMed 28660152
  • Ferenci P, Lockwood A, Mullen K, Tarter R, Weissenborn K, Blei AT. Hepatic encephalopathy--definition, nomenclature, diagnosis, and quantification: final report of the working party at the 11th World Congresses of Gastroenterology, Vienna, 1998. Hepatology. 2002 Mar;35(3):716-21. doi: 10.1053/jhep.2002.31250.

    PubMed 11870389
  • Fischl B, Dale AM. Measuring the thickness of the human cerebral cortex from magnetic resonance images. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Sep 26;97(20):11050-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.200033797.

    PubMed 10984517
  • Fischl B, Salat DH, Busa E, Albert M, Dieterich M, Haselgrove C, van der Kouwe A, Killiany R, Kennedy D, Klaveness S, Montillo A, Makris N, Rosen B, Dale AM. Whole brain segmentation: automated labeling of neuroanatomical structures in the human brain. Neuron. 2002 Jan 31;33(3):341-55. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(02)00569-x.

    PubMed 11832223
  • Fischl B, Salat DH, van der Kouwe AJ, Makris N, Segonne F, Quinn BT, Dale AM. Sequence-independent segmentation of magnetic resonance images. Neuroimage. 2004;23 Suppl 1:S69-84. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.07.016.

    PubMed 15501102
  • Fischl B, Sereno MI, Dale AM. Cortical surface-based analysis. II: Inflation, flattening, and a surface-based coordinate system. Neuroimage. 1999 Feb;9(2):195-207. doi: 10.1006/nimg.1998.0396.

    PubMed 9931269
  • Fischl B, Sereno MI, Tootell RB, Dale AM. High-resolution intersubject averaging and a coordinate system for the cortical surface. Hum Brain Mapp. 1999;8(4):272-84. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0193(1999)8:43.0.co;2-4.

    PubMed 10619420
  • Fischl B, van der Kouwe A, Destrieux C, Halgren E, Segonne F, Salat DH, Busa E, Seidman LJ, Goldstein J, Kennedy D, Caviness V, Makris N, Rosen B, Dale AM. Automatically parcellating the human cerebral cortex. Cereb Cortex. 2004 Jan;14(1):11-22. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhg087.

    PubMed 14654453

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Liver Cirrhoses and Hepatic Encephalopathy, run by University Medical Centre Ljubljana at 1 site in Slovenia.

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 1 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Oct 2019. 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 Slovenia. 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?

Results are not available in the source record.

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

Contact Gasper Zupan, M.D. (0038615437826, gasper.zupan@mf.uni-lj.si), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Structural and Functional Changes in Brain Structures with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (time frame: 2 hours). 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 NCT04131205, which also lists 30 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 18 Oct 2019.

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