Bladder Pain SyndromeNCT05279963
EA for BPS: An RCT and Study for Central Mechanism
A study testing electroacupuncture and Amitriptyline in people with Bladder Pain Syndrome, run by The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
This is a randomized controlled and assessor-blinded design trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for bladder pain syndrome(BPS). All eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the medication group(n=21), EA group(n=42) and SA group(n=21) in a 1:2:1 allocation ratio. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 70 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Bladder Pain Syndrome
- What is being tested?
- electroacupuncture and Amitriptyline
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Injection or infusion, Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 84 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 16 Mar 2022to 23 Jan 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 70 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 ≤ age ≤70 years, male or female;
- Must fulfill the first and the second diagnostic criteria;
- 30 mm≤ VAS score ≤80mm;
- Participants can fully understand the study protocol and a written informed consent is signed.
Who cannot join
- Patients with previous bladder stones or other space-occupying lesions;
- Previous positive urine culture or significant abnormal urine routine;
- Significant organic lesions of genitourinary system and pelvic organs;
- Patients suffer from severe primary diseases such as cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, respiratory, liver and kidney, or patients cannot receive EA treatment due to any reasons;
- People with heart stents and other metallic substances in their bodies;
- Women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, breast-feeding or allergic to study drugs;
- Patients have participated in other clinical trials within the last 3 months.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
China1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310053
Yuanyuan Wu, Doctor, 86-15336871318, runnaway@126.com
About this study
Official title: Electroacupuncture for Bladder Pain Syndrome: An Randomized Controlled Trial and Study for Central Mechanism
This is a randomized controlled and assessor-blinded design trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for bladder pain syndrome(BPS). All eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the medication group(n=21), EA group(n=42) and SA group(n=21) in a 1:2:1 allocation ratio. Participants will receive 4-week treatments phase followed by a 4-week follow-up phase. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, during the treatment and at the end of the follow-up. Outcome assessors, data managers and statisticians will be blinded to the group allocation, while acupuncturists and participants will not be blinded for obvious reasons. Besides, fMRI will be used to collect spontaneous electrical activity of the brain of patients. In this trial, the investigators assume that electroacupuncture for BPS, compared to amitriptyline, is instrumental in improving symptoms such as pain, frequent micturition and emotional disorder.
Read the detailed description
Participants will be primarily recruited from gynecology, urology and acupuncture departments during outpatient service. All patients will be randomly assigned to either the medication group, EA group or SA group via random number table. SAS 9.3 software will be adopted to generate random numbers. The independent clinical research assistant will be responsible for generating random numbers and making random allocation cards, each with its group allocation information and sealed into an opaque envelope, which will not be open until the first treatment. According to the order of enrollment, eligible participants will be randomly assigned into the medication, EA or SA group at 1:2:1 ratio under the allocation in the envelope.
Due to the characteristics of acupuncture, acupuncture manipulators cannot be blinded. Nevertheless, to avoid the subjective bias of researchers and subjects, outcome assessment and statistical analysis will be performed by different researchers blinded to the allocation information. Patients are informed that they will receive one of two effective acupuncture interventions after enrollment, and during the treatment, patients in EA or SA groups will be in separate rooms to avoid communication. Outcome assessors and statisticians will be blind to the group allocations. The participant's allocated intervention will not be revealed until the statistical analysis reports are completed.
Participants in the medication group will be merely treated with oral administration of amitriptyline capsule. The dosage of amitriptyline is 25 mg bid, for 4 weeks. Any changes in the medications of individual participants will be recorded on diary cards.
In EA group, acupuncture treatment is carried out by acupuncturists who have been well trained. Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25 mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Patients are asked to lie in a prone position with whole body relaxed. Both the skin around the selected acupoints and the hand of acupuncturists are routinely disinfected, after insertion, manipulations of twirling, lifting and uniform reinforcing reducing manipulation will be performed on all needles to elicit 'deqi'. The compositional sensation of 'deqi' involves with numbness, soreness, distention, aching and heaviness, which are believed to be an essential component for acupuncture efficacy. Electroacupuncture procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical TechnologyCo., Ltd, China). Two paired of acupoints (i.e., two Shenshu(BL23) and two Ciliao(BL32), respectively) are connected to the EA apparatus. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and frequency is 2/100 Hz. EA intensity is determined in accordance with patients' endurance. EA will last for 30 min for each treatment. Patients will receive a total number of 12 EA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks.
In SA group, Acupuncture will be conducted by well-trained acupuncturists and performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25×40 mm (diameter: 0.25 mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Patients are asked to lie in a prone position with whole body relaxed. Both the skin around the selected acupoint and the hand of acupuncturists are routinely disinfected. The needles are subcutaneously inserted to non-meridian and non-acupoints regions. SA procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical Technology Co., Ltd, China). Two paired of points are connected to the electronic instruments. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and the frequency is 2/100 Hz. Different from the EA group, the apparatus will run without electricity in the SA group. The procedure will last for 30 min. Patients will receive a total number of 12 SA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks.
Outcomes, such as Visual analog scale, O'Leary-Sant questionnaire, 24-hour voiding diary, Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Hamilton Depression Scale, will be assessed at baseline, during the treatment and at the end of the follow-up. Outcome assessors, data managers and statisticians will be blinded to the group allocation, while acupuncturists and participants will not be blinded for obvious reasons.
Besides, fMRI will be used to collect spontaneous electrical activity of the brain of patients, and the changes of spontaneous electrical activity of specific brain regions, resting brain functional connectivity and information interaction of multifunctional areas will be analyzed.
- Conditions
- Bladder Pain Syndrome
- Being tested
- electroacupuncture, Amitriptyline, sham electroacupuncture
- Keywords
- electroacupuncture, Randomized Controlled Trial, multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging
- Medical subject headings
- Cystitis, Interstitial
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
electroacupunctureProcedure or surgery
The prespecified acupoints applied here will include bilateral Sanyinjiao(SP6), Shenshu(BL23), Ciliao(BL32), Zhongliao(BL33), Zhibian(BL54) .
Acupuncture treatment is carried out by acupuncturists who have been well trained. Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Electroacupuncture procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical TechnologyCo., Ltd, China). Two paired of acupoints (i.e., two Shenshu(BL23) and two Ciliao(BL32), respectively) are connected to the EA apparatus. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and frequency is 2/100 Hz. EA intensity is determined in accordance with patients' endurance. EA will last for 30 min for each treatment. Patients will receive a total number of 12 EA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks.
AmitriptylineDrug
Participants in the medication group will be merely treated with oral administration of amitriptyline capsule. The dosage of amitriptyline is 25mg bid, for 4 weeks. Any changes in the medications of individual participants will be recorded on diary cards.
sham electroacupunctureProcedure or surgery
In the trunk region, the points are 5 cm away from respective acupoints. In the lower limb region, the point is 3 cm away from Sanyinjiao(SP6). All points will only receive shallow insertion.
Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China).The needles are shallowly inserted to the subcutaneous area, and acupoints are connected to the EA apparatus without electricity. The frequency, intensity and duration of treatment will be the same as the electric needle group.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| medication group | Active comparator | Participants in the medication group will be merely treated with oral administration of amitriptyline capsule. The dosage of amitriptyline is 25mg bid, for 4 weeks. Any changes in the medications of participants will be recorded on diary cards. Receives: Drug: Amitriptyline |
| EA group | Experimental | Patients allocated to this group will receive treatment with electroacupuncture. The location of acupoints will be determined based on the National Standard Nomenclature and Location of Acupoints. Patients will receive a total number of 12 EA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. Receives: Procedure: electroacupuncture |
| SA group | Sham comparator | Patients allocated to this group will receive acupuncture in non-meridian and non-acupoints regions. The needles are shallowly inserted to the subcutaneous area, and acupoints are connected to the EA apparatus without electricity. The frequency, intensity and duration of treatment will be the same as the EA group. Receives: Procedure: sham electroacupuncture |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Changes in VAS score for pain intensity from baseline to 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after randomization.
Pain intensity will be measured using a 0-100 VAS, with 0 indicating no pain and 100 indicating maximal pain.
Measured: at baseline(week 0)、week 2、week 4 and week 8
Secondary outcomes (4)
Changes in O'Leary-Sant questionnaire from baseline to 4 weeks, 8 weeks after randomization.
O'Leary-Sant questionnaire include interstitial cystitis Inflammation Index (ICSI) and interstitial Cystitis Problems Index (ICPI). Both ICSI and ICPI contain 4 questions. ICSI mainly assesses the severity of symptoms and every item estimation score ranges between 0 and 5. The total score ranges from 0 to 20 and higher scores indicate more severe symptoms. ICPI evaluates the degree of distress to the patient and every item estimation score ranges from 0 to 4. The total score ranges from 0 to 16; higher score represent, the more serious the distress.
Measured: at baseline(week 0)、week 4 and week 8
24-hour voiding diary
The frequency of urination and the special feeling during the urination will be carefully recorded every day.
Measured: every day during the 4-week treatment phase
Changes in Hamilton Anxiety Scale from baseline to 4 weeks, 8 weeks after randomization.
Hamilton Anxiety Scale is represented by 14 items. Every item estimation score ranges between 0 and 4. The total score ranges from 0 to 56. Higher the score, severe the situation. In this scale, score 7-14 indicates mild severity, 15-21 represents mild to moderate severity, 22-28 represents moderate severity, and >28 indicates severe condition.
Measured: at baseline(week 0)、week 4 and week 8
Changes in Hamilton Depression Scale from baseline to 4 weeks, 8 weeks after randomization.
Hamilton Depression Scale is is composed of 17 questions. The total score ranges from 0 to 53. The higher the score, the more depressed the patient. In this scale, score 8-16 indicates mild severity, 17-23 represents mild to moderate severity, and 24-53 refers moderates to severe condition.
Measured: at baseline(week 0)、week 4 and week 8
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Mar 2022
- Study start16 Mar 2022
- Primary completion24 Dec 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion23 Jan 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (29)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Bladder Pain SyndromeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Yuanyuan Wu, The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05279963
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2022-02-13
- Status last verified
- Nov 2024
- First submitted
- 16 Feb 2022
- Last updated
- 3 Dec 2024
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Hanno PM, Erickson D, Moldwin R, Faraday MM; American Urological Association. Diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: AUA guideline amendment. J Urol. 2015 May;193(5):1545-53. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2015.01.086. Epub 2015 Jan 23.
PubMed 25623737van de Merwe JP, Nordling J, Bouchelouche P, Bouchelouche K, Cervigni M, Daha LK, Elneil S, Fall M, Hohlbrugger G, Irwin P, Mortensen S, van Ophoven A, Osborne JL, Peeker R, Richter B, Riedl C, Sairanen J, Tinzl M, Wyndaele JJ. Diagnostic criteria, classification, and nomenclature for painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis: an ESSIC proposal. Eur Urol. 2008 Jan;53(1):60-7. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2007.09.019. Epub 2007 Sep 20.
PubMed 17900797Hanno PM. Re-imagining interstitial cystitis. Urol Clin North Am. 2008 Feb;35(1):91-9; vii. doi: 10.1016/j.ucl.2007.09.011.
PubMed 18061027Konkle KS, Berry SH, Elliott MN, Hilton L, Suttorp MJ, Clauw DJ, Clemens JQ. Comparison of an interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome clinical cohort with symptomatic community women from the RAND Interstitial Cystitis Epidemiology study. J Urol. 2012 Feb;187(2):508-12. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2011.10.040. Epub 2011 Dec 15.
PubMed 22177158Nickel JC, Payne CK, Forrest J, Parsons CL, Wan GJ, Xiao X. The relationship among symptoms, sleep disturbances and quality of life in patients with interstitial cystitis. J Urol. 2009 Jun;181(6):2555-61. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2009.02.030. Epub 2009 Apr 16.
PubMed 19375108Ouyang H, Chen JD. Review article: therapeutic roles of acupuncture in functional gastrointestinal disorders. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2004 Oct 15;20(8):831-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2004.02196.x.
PubMed 15479354Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians; Denberg TD, Barry MJ, Boyd C, Chow RD, Fitterman N, Harris RP, Humphrey LL, Vijan S. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017 Apr 4;166(7):514-530. doi: 10.7326/M16-2367. Epub 2017 Feb 14.
PubMed 28192789Quinlan-Woodward J, Gode A, Dusek JA, Reinstein AS, Johnson JR, Sendelbach S. Assessing the Impact of Acupuncture on Pain, Nausea, Anxiety, and Coping in Women Undergoing a Mastectomy. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2016 Nov 1;43(6):725-732. doi: 10.1188/16.ONF.725-732.
PubMed 27768139Tsai SL, Fox LM, Murakami M, Tsung JW. Auricular Acupuncture in Emergency Department Treatment of Acute Pain. Ann Emerg Med. 2016 Nov;68(5):583-585. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.05.006. Epub 2016 Jun 8.
PubMed 27287548Wu YY, Jiang YL, He XF, Zhao XY, Shao XM, Du JY, Fang JQ. Effects of Electroacupuncture with Dominant Frequency at SP 6 and ST 36 Based on Meridian Theory on Pain-Depression Dyad in Rats. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:732845. doi: 10.1155/2015/732845. Epub 2015 Mar 4.
PubMed 25821498Chan AW, Tetzlaff JM, Altman DG, Laupacis A, Gotzsche PC, Krleza-Jeric K, Hrobjartsson A, Mann H, Dickersin K, Berlin JA, Dore CJ, Parulekar WR, Summerskill WS, Groves T, Schulz KF, Sox HC, Rockhold FW, Rennie D, Moher D. SPIRIT 2013 statement: defining standard protocol items for clinical trials. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Feb 5;158(3):200-7. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-158-3-201302050-00583.
PubMed 23295957Moher D, Hopewell S, Schulz KF, Montori V, Gotzsche PC, Devereaux PJ, Elbourne D, Egger M, Altman DG; CONSORT. CONSORT 2010 explanation and elaboration: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials. Int J Surg. 2012;10(1):28-55. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2011.10.001. Epub 2011 Oct 12.
PubMed 22036893Thompson E. Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A). Occup Med (Lond). 2015 Oct;65(7):601. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqv054. No abstract available.
PubMed 26370845Carneiro AM, Fernandes F, Moreno RA. Hamilton depression rating scale and montgomery-asberg depression rating scale in depressed and bipolar I patients: psychometric properties in a Brazilian sample. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2015 Apr 2;13:42. doi: 10.1186/s12955-015-0235-3.
PubMed 25889742Melzer J, Rostock M, Brignoli R, Keck ME, Saller R. Preliminary data of a HAMD-17 validated symptom scale derived from the ICD-10 to diagnose depression in outpatients. Forsch Komplementmed. 2012;19(4):191-6. doi: 10.1159/000342018. Epub 2012 Aug 20.
PubMed 22964985
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Dec 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Electroacupuncture for Bladder Pain Syndrome: An Randomized Controlled Trial and Study for Central Mechanism
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05279963
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2022-02-13
- Conditions
- Bladder Pain Syndrome
- Keywords
- electroacupuncture, Randomized Controlled Trial, multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 16 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 24 Dec 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 23 Jan 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 15 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This is a randomized controlled and assessor-blinded design trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for bladder pain syndrome(BPS). All eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the medication group(n=21), EA group(n=42) and SA group(n=21) in a 1:2:1 allocation ratio. Participants will receive 4-week treatments phase followed by a 4-week follow-up phase. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, during the treatment and at the end of the follow-up. Outcome assessors, data managers and statisticians will be blinded to the group allocation, while acupuncturists and participants will not be blinded for obvious reasons. Besides, fMRI will be used to collect spontaneous electrical activity of the brain of patients. In this trial, the investigators assume that electroacupuncture for BPS, compared to amitriptyline, is instrumental in improving symptoms such as pain, frequent micturition and emotional disorder.
Detailed description
Participants will be primarily recruited from gynecology, urology and acupuncture departments during outpatient service. All patients will be randomly assigned to either the medication group, EA group or SA group via random number table. SAS 9.3 software will be adopted to generate random numbers. The independent clinical research assistant will be responsible for generating random numbers and making random allocation cards, each with its group allocation information and sealed into an opaque envelope, which will not be open until the first treatment. According to the order of enrollment, eligible participants will be randomly assigned into the medication, EA or SA group at 1:2:1 ratio under the allocation in the envelope.
Due to the characteristics of acupuncture, acupuncture manipulators cannot be blinded. Nevertheless, to avoid the subjective bias of researchers and subjects, outcome assessment and statistical analysis will be performed by different researchers blinded to the allocation information. Patients are informed that they will receive one of two effective acupuncture interventions after enrollment, and during the treatment, patients in EA or SA groups will be in separate rooms to avoid communication. Outcome assessors and statisticians will be blind to the group allocations. The participant's allocated intervention will not be revealed until the statistical analysis reports are completed.
Participants in the medication group will be merely treated with oral administration of amitriptyline capsule. The dosage of amitriptyline is 25 mg bid, for 4 weeks. Any changes in the medications of individual participants will be recorded on diary cards.
In EA group, acupuncture treatment is carried out by acupuncturists who have been well trained. Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25 mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Patients are asked to lie in a prone position with whole body relaxed. Both the skin around the selected acupoints and the hand of acupuncturists are routinely disinfected, after insertion, manipulations of twirling, lifting and uniform reinforcing reducing manipulation will be performed on all needles to elicit 'deqi'. The compositional sensation of 'deqi' involves with numbness, soreness, distention, aching and heaviness, which are believed to be an essential component for acupuncture efficacy. Electroacupuncture procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical TechnologyCo., Ltd, China). Two paired of acupoints (i.e., two Shenshu(BL23) and two Ciliao(BL32), respectively) are connected to the EA apparatus. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and frequency is 2/100 Hz. EA intensity is determined in accordance with patients' endurance. EA will last for 30 min for each treatment. Patients will receive a total number of 12 EA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks.
In SA group, Acupuncture will be conducted by well-trained acupuncturists and performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25×40 mm (diameter: 0.25 mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Patients are asked to lie in a prone position with whole body relaxed. Both the skin around the selected acupoint and the hand of acupuncturists are routinely disinfected. The needles are subcutaneously inserted to non-meridian and non-acupoints regions. SA procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical Technology Co., Ltd, China). Two paired of points are connected to the electronic instruments. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and the frequency is 2/100 Hz. Different from the EA group, the apparatus will run without electricity in the SA group. The procedure will last for 30 min. Patients will receive a total number of 12 SA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks.
Outcomes, such as Visual analog scale, O'Leary-Sant questionnaire, 24-hour voiding diary, Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Hamilton Depression Scale, will be assessed at baseline, during the treatment and at the end of the follow-up. Outcome assessors, data managers and statisticians will be blinded to the group allocation, while acupuncturists and participants will not be blinded for obvious reasons.
Besides, fMRI will be used to collect spontaneous electrical activity of the brain of patients, and the changes of spontaneous electrical activity of specific brain regions, resting brain functional connectivity and information interaction of multifunctional areas will be analyzed.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| medication group | Active comparator | Drug: AmitriptylineParticipants in the medication group will be merely treated with oral administration of amitriptyline capsule. The dosage of amitriptyline is 25mg bid, for 4 weeks. Any changes in the medications of participants will be recorded on diary cards. |
| EA group | Experimental | Procedure: electroacupuncturePatients allocated to this group will receive treatment with electroacupuncture. The location of acupoints will be determined based on the National Standard Nomenclature and Location of Acupoints. Patients will receive a total number of 12 EA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. |
| SA group | Sham comparator | Procedure: sham electroacupuncturePatients allocated to this group will receive acupuncture in non-meridian and non-acupoints regions. The needles are shallowly inserted to the subcutaneous area, and acupoints are connected to the EA apparatus without electricity. The frequency, intensity and duration of treatment will be the same as the EA group. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 18 ≤ age ≤70 years, male or female;
- Must fulfill the first and the second diagnostic criteria;
- 30 mm≤ VAS score ≤80mm;
- Participants can fully understand the study protocol and a written informed consent is signed.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Patients with previous bladder stones or other space-occupying lesions;
- Previous positive urine culture or significant abnormal urine routine;
- Significant organic lesions of genitourinary system and pelvic organs;
- Patients suffer from severe primary diseases such as cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, respiratory, liver and kidney, or patients cannot receive EA treatment due to any reasons;
- People with heart stents and other metallic substances in their bodies;
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| electroacupunctureThe prespecified acupoints applied here will include bilateral Sanyinjiao(SP6), Shenshu(BL23), Ciliao(BL32), Zhongliao(BL33), Zhibian(BL54) . Acupuncture treatment is carried out by acupuncturists who have been well trained. Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China). Electroacupuncture procedures will be performed with electronic instruments (Hans-100A, Nanjing Jisheng Medical TechnologyCo., Ltd, China). Two paired of acupoints (i.e., two Shenshu(BL23) and two Ciliao(BL32), respectively) are connected to the EA apparatus. Alternating-frequency mode is selected and frequency is 2/100 Hz. EA intensity is determined in accordance with patients' endurance. EA will last for 30 min for each treatment. Patients will receive a total number of 12 EA sessions, with the frequency of 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. | Procedure or surgery | EA group |
| AmitriptylineParticipants in the medication group will be merely treated with oral administration of amitriptyline capsule. The dosage of amitriptyline is 25mg bid, for 4 weeks. Any changes in the medications of individual participants will be recorded on diary cards. | Drug | medication group |
| sham electroacupunctureIn the trunk region, the points are 5 cm away from respective acupoints. In the lower limb region, the point is 3 cm away from Sanyinjiao(SP6). All points will only receive shallow insertion. Acupuncture will be performed with disposable and sterile needles in the specification of 0.25 ×40 mm(diameter: 0.25mm; Suzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd, China).The needles are shallowly inserted to the subcutaneous area, and acupoints are connected to the EA apparatus without electricity. The frequency, intensity and duration of treatment will be the same as the electric needle group. | Procedure or surgery | SA group |
Primary outcome
Changes in VAS score for pain intensity from baseline to 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after randomization.
Time frame: at baseline(week 0)、week 2、week 4 and week 8
Pain intensity will be measured using a 0-100 VAS, with 0 indicating no pain and 100 indicating maximal pain.
4 secondary outcomes
Changes in O'Leary-Sant questionnaire from baseline to 4 weeks, 8 weeks after randomization.
Time frame: at baseline(week 0)、week 4 and week 8
24-hour voiding diary
Time frame: every day during the 4-week treatment phase
Changes in Hamilton Anxiety Scale from baseline to 4 weeks, 8 weeks after randomization.
Time frame: at baseline(week 0)、week 4 and week 8
Changes in Hamilton Depression Scale from baseline to 4 weeks, 8 weeks after randomization.
Time frame: at baseline(week 0)、week 4 and week 8
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Dec 2024.
- Background: PubMed 25623737Hanno PM, Erickson D, Moldwin R, Faraday MM; American Urological Association. Diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: AUA guideline amendment. J Urol. 2015 May;193(5):1545-53. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2015.01.086. Epub 2015 Jan 23.
- Background: PubMed 17900797van de Merwe JP, Nordling J, Bouchelouche P, Bouchelouche K, Cervigni M, Daha LK, Elneil S, Fall M, Hohlbrugger G, Irwin P, Mortensen S, van Ophoven A, Osborne JL, Peeker R, Richter B, Riedl C, Sairanen J, Tinzl M, Wyndaele JJ. Diagnostic criteria, classification, and nomenclature for painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis: an ESSIC proposal. Eur Urol. 2008 Jan;53(1):60-7. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2007.09.019. Epub 2007 Sep 20.
- Background: PubMed 18061027Hanno PM. Re-imagining interstitial cystitis. Urol Clin North Am. 2008 Feb;35(1):91-9; vii. doi: 10.1016/j.ucl.2007.09.011.
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- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing electroacupuncture and Amitriptyline in people with Bladder Pain Syndrome, run by The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University at 1 site in China.
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 7 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Dec 2024. 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 China. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Yuanyuan Wu, PHD (0571-88393504, runnaway@126.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Changes in VAS score for pain intensity from baseline to 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after randomization. (time frame: at baseline(week 0)、week 2、week 4 and week 8). 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 NCT05279963, which also lists 29 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 Dec 2024.