Radiculopathy, Cervical RegionNCT07476235
Predictors of Treatment Response to Stellate Ganglion Block in Cervical Radicular Pain
An observational study of Radiculopathy, Cervical Region, run by Asan Medical Center at 1 site in South Korea.
Trial summary
Purpose: Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is a procedure that uses ultrasound to guide a needle near a group of nerves in the neck called the stellate ganglion. A local anesthetic is then injected to block pain signals. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 19 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Radiculopathy, Cervical Region
- What is being tested?
- Cervical multifidus fatty degeneration, Primary etiology of foraminal stenosis and Steroid use during stellate ganglion block
- How many people
- 90 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSouth Korea
- Study dates
- 8 Oct 2024to 15 Sep 2025
- 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 19 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Patients aged 19 years or older with unilateral cervical radicular pain who underwent ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block at the pain clinic of Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between October 2018 and April 2023. All patients had MRI-confirmed cervical foraminal stenosis consistent with their symptoms and had failed at least 1 month of conservative treatment including medication and physical therapy. Patients were excluded if they had a history of cervical spine surgery, bilateral or multi-segment involvement, neck pain exceeding arm pain, other contributing pain conditions, or insufficient medical records.
Who may be able to join
- Unilateral cervical radicular pain
- Evidence of cervical foraminal stenosis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) consistent with radicular pain
- Age ≥ 19 years
- Symptoms unresponsive to at least 1 month of conservative treatment, including medication and physical therapy
Who cannot join
- History of cervical spine surgery
- Bilateral symptoms or involvement of three or more segments
- Neck pain intensity greater than arm-pain intensity
- Other conditions, such as facet joint syndrome or myofascial pain syndrome, contributing to the symptoms
- Insufficient documentation in the electronic medical records
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Cervical Multifidus Fatty Degeneration and Bony Foraminal Stenosis Predict Unsuccessful Response to Stellate Ganglion Block in Cervical Radicular Pain: a Retrospective Study
Purpose: Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is a procedure that uses ultrasound to guide a needle near a group of nerves in the neck called the stellate ganglion. A local anesthetic is then injected to block pain signals. This procedure has recently shown promise as a treatment for cervical radicular pain - pain that travels from the neck down into the arm, usually caused by a pinched nerve in the spine.
While SGB appears to be effective for many patients, not all patients respond equally well. Currently, there is no way to predict before the procedure which patients are likely to benefit and which are not. Identifying such predictors would help doctors select the right patients for this treatment and avoid unnecessary procedures.
Read more
Study Question: This study aimed to determine whether specific clinical characteristics or imaging findings on MRI could predict whether a patient would have a successful pain response after receiving SGB for cervical radicular pain.
Methods: This was a retrospective study that reviewed the medical records of patients who received ultrasound-guided SGB at a single medical center between October 2018 and April 2023. Patients were included if they had one-sided arm pain caused by a pinched nerve confirmed on MRI and had not improved after at least one month of standard treatments such as medication and physical therapy.
Information collected from medical records included patient age, sex, body mass index, presence of diabetes or hypertension, pain severity (measured on a 0-to-10 scale), duration of symptoms, and neck disability scores. Imaging findings from cervical MRI were also evaluated, including the degree of nerve compression, the cause of the compression (soft disc herniation versus bony overgrowth), the condition of the spinal canal, disc degeneration, and the amount of fatty changes in the small muscles along the back of the neck (called the multifidus muscles).
Hypothesis: The study hypothesized that certain imaging-based factors - specifically, significant fatty degeneration of the cervical multifidus muscles and bony overgrowth as the main cause of nerve compression - would be associated with a poorer response to SGB at 3 months after the procedure.
- Conditions
- Radiculopathy, Cervical Region
- Being tested
- Cervical multifidus fatty degeneration, Primary etiology of foraminal stenosis, Steroid use during stellate ganglion block, Other collected data
- Medical subject headings
- Radiculopathy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Cervical multifidus fatty degenerationOther
Cervical multifidus fatty degeneration was assessed by evaluating the degree of fatty infiltration in the bilateral multifidus muscles at the C5-C6 level, which is a region noted for its high mechanical load and flexibility, rendering it susceptible to degenerative changes.T2-weighted axial MRI images were analyzed, and fatty infiltration of the cervical multifidus muscle was graded using the Goutallier classification as follows: grade 0 (no fat signal), grade 1 (minimal fat signal), grade 2 (more muscle than fat), grade 3 (equal amounts of fat and muscle), and grade 4 (more fat than muscle) (Fig. 1). For the analysis, cervical multifidus fatty degeneration was defined as minimal (Goutallier grades 0-1) or substantial (Goutallier grades 2-4).
Primary etiology of foraminal stenosisOther
The primary etiology of foraminal stenosis was determined by differentiating between disc herniation and bony hypertrophy at the uncovertebral or facet joint, based on the more prominent lesion.
Steroid use during stellate ganglion blockDrug
Use of dexamethasone 5 mg added to 6 mL of 1% lidocaine versus 1% lidocaine alone during ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block, based on the treating physician's clinical decision.
Other collected dataOther
Other collected data included patient demographics, such as age, sex, body mass index, and comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension, pre-procedural symptoms such as radicular pain with or without neck pain, neck disability index, pain duration, cervical curvature types, central stenosis grade, foraminal stenosis grade, and disc degeneration.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Successful responder | Successful responders were defined as patients who demonstrated either a reduction of ≥4 points on the numerical rating scale or a ≥50% decrease in pain at 3 months post-procedure. Receives: Other: Cervical multifidus fatty degeneration; Other: Primary etiology of foraminal stenosis; Drug: Steroid use during stellate ganglion block; Other: Other collected data | |
| Unsuccessful responder | Patients who did not achieve a successful response or who underwent additional interventional procedures within 3 months were classified as unsuccessful responders. Receives: Other: Cervical multifidus fatty degeneration; Other: Primary etiology of foraminal stenosis; Drug: Steroid use during stellate ganglion block; Other: Other collected data |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Successful response
Successful response was defined as either a reduction of ≥4 points on the numerical rating scale or a ≥50% decrease in pain intensity at 3 months post-procedure.
Measured: At 3 months post-procedure
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Mar 2026
- Study start8 Oct 2024
- Primary completion15 Sep 2025
- Study completion15 Sep 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Radiculopathy, Cervical RegionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Asan Medical CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Asan Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Chan-Sik Kim, Asan Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07476235
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2024-1179
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 12 Mar 2026
- Last updated
- 18 Mar 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 18 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Cervical Multifidus Fatty Degeneration and Bony Foraminal Stenosis Predict Unsuccessful Response to Stellate Ganglion Block in Cervical Radicular Pain: a Retrospective Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07476235
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2024-1179
- Conditions
- Radiculopathy, Cervical Region
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Asan Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 8 Oct 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 Sep 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 17 Mar 2026 (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.
Purpose: Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is a procedure that uses ultrasound to guide a needle near a group of nerves in the neck called the stellate ganglion. A local anesthetic is then injected to block pain signals. This procedure has recently shown promise as a treatment for cervical radicular pain - pain that travels from the neck down into the arm, usually caused by a pinched nerve in the spine.
While SGB appears to be effective for many patients, not all patients respond equally well. Currently, there is no way to predict before the procedure which patients are likely to benefit and which are not. Identifying such predictors would help doctors select the right patients for this treatment and avoid unnecessary procedures.
Study Question: This study aimed to determine whether specific clinical characteristics or imaging findings on MRI could predict whether a patient would have a successful pain response after receiving SGB for cervical radicular pain.
Methods: This was a retrospective study that reviewed the medical records of patients who received ultrasound-guided SGB at a single medical center between October 2018 and April 2023. Patients were included if they had one-sided arm pain caused by a pinched nerve confirmed on MRI and had not improved after at least one month of standard treatments such as medication and physical therapy.
Information collected from medical records included patient age, sex, body mass index, presence of diabetes or hypertension, pain severity (measured on a 0-to-10 scale), duration of symptoms, and neck disability scores. Imaging findings from cervical MRI were also evaluated, including the degree of nerve compression, the cause of the compression (soft disc herniation versus bony overgrowth), the condition of the spinal canal, disc degeneration, and the amount of fatty changes in the small muscles along the back of the neck (called the multifidus muscles).
Hypothesis: The study hypothesized that certain imaging-based factors - specifically, significant fatty degeneration of the cervical multifidus muscles and bony overgrowth as the main cause of nerve compression - would be associated with a poorer response to SGB at 3 months after the procedure.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Successful responder | – | Other: Cervical multifidus fatty degeneration, Other: Primary etiology of foraminal stenosis, Drug: Steroid use during stellate ganglion block, Other: Other collected dataSuccessful responders were defined as patients who demonstrated either a reduction of ≥4 points on the numerical rating scale or a ≥50% decrease in pain at 3 months post-procedure. |
| Unsuccessful responder | – | Other: Cervical multifidus fatty degeneration, Other: Primary etiology of foraminal stenosis, Drug: Steroid use during stellate ganglion block, Other: Other collected dataPatients who did not achieve a successful response or who underwent additional interventional procedures within 3 months were classified as unsuccessful responders. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 19 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Patients aged 19 years or older with unilateral cervical radicular pain who underwent ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block at the pain clinic of Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between October 2018 and April 2023. All patients had MRI-confirmed cervical foraminal stenosis consistent with their symptoms and had failed at least 1 month of conservative treatment including medication and physical therapy. Patients were excluded if they had a history of cervical spine surgery, bilateral or multi-segment involvement, neck pain exceeding arm pain, other contributing pain conditions, or insufficient medical records.
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Unilateral cervical radicular pain
- Evidence of cervical foraminal stenosis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) consistent with radicular pain
- Age ≥ 19 years
- Symptoms unresponsive to at least 1 month of conservative treatment, including medication and physical therapy
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- History of cervical spine surgery
- Bilateral symptoms or involvement of three or more segments
- Neck pain intensity greater than arm-pain intensity
- Other conditions, such as facet joint syndrome or myofascial pain syndrome, contributing to the symptoms
- Insufficient documentation in the electronic medical records
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cervical multifidus fatty degenerationCervical multifidus fatty degeneration was assessed by evaluating the degree of fatty infiltration in the bilateral multifidus muscles at the C5-C6 level, which is a region noted for its high mechanical load and flexibility, rendering it susceptible to degenerative changes.T2-weighted axial MRI images were analyzed, and fatty infiltration of the cervical multifidus muscle was graded using the Goutallier classification as follows: grade 0 (no fat signal), grade 1 (minimal fat signal), grade 2 (more muscle than fat), grade 3 (equal amounts of fat and muscle), and grade 4 (more fat than muscle) (Fig. 1). For the analysis, cervical multifidus fatty degeneration was defined as minimal (Goutallier grades 0-1) or substantial (Goutallier grades 2-4). | Other | Successful responder, Unsuccessful responder |
| Primary etiology of foraminal stenosisThe primary etiology of foraminal stenosis was determined by differentiating between disc herniation and bony hypertrophy at the uncovertebral or facet joint, based on the more prominent lesion. | Other | Successful responder, Unsuccessful responder |
| Steroid use during stellate ganglion blockUse of dexamethasone 5 mg added to 6 mL of 1% lidocaine versus 1% lidocaine alone during ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block, based on the treating physician's clinical decision. | Drug | Successful responder, Unsuccessful responder |
| Other collected dataOther collected data included patient demographics, such as age, sex, body mass index, and comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension, pre-procedural symptoms such as radicular pain with or without neck pain, neck disability index, pain duration, cervical curvature types, central stenosis grade, foraminal stenosis grade, and disc degeneration. | Other | Successful responder, Unsuccessful responder |
Primary outcome
Successful response
Time frame: At 3 months post-procedure
Successful response was defined as either a reduction of ≥4 points on the numerical rating scale or a ≥50% decrease in pain intensity at 3 months post-procedure.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 18 Mar 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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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. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Radiculopathy, Cervical Region, run by Asan Medical Center at 1 site in South Korea.
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 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 18 Mar 2026. 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 South Korea. 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?
Successful response (time frame: At 3 months post-procedure). 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 18 Mar 2026.