SacroiliitisNCT07647757
Neurolyser XR for the Treatment of Sacroiliitis
A study testing Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasound in people with Sacroiliitis and Low Back Pain, run by Federico II University at 1 site in Italy.
Trial summary
Our study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound in the management of low back pain due to sacroiliitis. Sacroiliitis is the inflammation of a joint in the lowest part of the spin and it is one of the cause of low back; the diagnosis is essentially based on clinical… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Sacroiliitis, Low Back Pain
- What is being tested?
- Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasound
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteItaly
- Study dates
- Jul 2026to Jul 2027
- 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 80 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Adult males and females, legally able and willing to participate in the study and come for follow-up visits
- Able and willing to fill the research questionnaires and to communicate with investigator and research team
- Patient with bilateral or unilateral sacroiliac joint pain of > 6 months duration
- Patients presenting with a) a positive (>70% pain relief) to a previous nerve ablation procedure of the sacroiliac joint and / or b) with a positive (>70% pain relief) to a previous nerve block procedure of the sacroiliac joint within the last six months)
- Average pain score of 4 or higher in the last month, (on 0-10 scale).
Who cannot join
- Pregnant or breastfeeding patient
- Patients presenting with neurological deficits (including lumbosacral radiculopathy but not solitary radicular pain).
- Patients with history of lumbar and / or sacral spine surgery
- Patients with the presence of metal hardware at the lumbosacral spine
- Patients with history of pelvic pathology that may increase procedural risk and / or influence symptoms and / or generate unrelated adverse event (per the discretion of the study principal investigator)
- Patients unable to understand and complete the research questionnaires in Italian.
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- Patients presenting with any severe medical condition preventing the patient from safely and effectively being treated in the study or reporting study outcome.
- Patient with extensive scarring in the skin and tissue overlying the treatment area.
- Patients enrolled in or planned to be enrolled in another clinical trial during the duration of this research project.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Italy1 site
Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences
Naples, 80131
Pasquale Buonanno, Professor, +390817463705, pasquale.buonanno@unina.it
About this study
Official title: Safety and Efficacy of Using the Neurolyser XR Device for the Treatment of Sacroiliac Joint Related Low Back Pain
Our study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound in the management of low back pain due to sacroiliitis. Sacroiliitis is the inflammation of a joint in the lowest part of the spin and it is one of the cause of low back; the diagnosis is essentially based on clinical examination and the confirmation of this diagnosis relies on a significant pain relief following an infiltration of local anesthetic in the joint. One of the potential treatment is to ablate the nerves which carry the painful stimuli from the joint to the central nervous system through; these nerves enter the spinal canal through the sacral foramina which are two series of four pairs of openings located on the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine. Traditionally, these nerves are ablated by the heat produced by radiofrequency or the cold produced by cryoablation; both techniques require percutaneous needle insertion in close proximity to the targeted nerves, posing potential discomfort and risk of infection for the patient. High intensity focused ultrasound delivered by the device Neurolyser XR uses ultrasounds which are converged to the targeted point thanks to a gel pad positioned on the back of the patient; this mechanism of action does not require sterile conditions as the skin is not pierced and the discomfort of patient is dramatically reduced during the procedure for there is non need to insert and move any needle to properly position it. The correct orientation of the ultrasound beam is guaranteed by the alignment of the targeting system of the device and the X-ray image. The lesion is produced only if there is a bone right under the focus of the ultrasound beam and this is a safety system which assures that no direct injuries of other structures (e.g., vessels, spinal root) can be caused. To date, Neurolyser XR has been extensively used to treat facet joint syndrome through the ablation of the medial branches. However, its application in sacroiliitis has not yet been as deeply investigated.
- Conditions
- Sacroiliitis, Low Back Pain
- Being tested
- Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasound
- Keywords
- HIFU, High intensity focused ultrasound, sacroiliitis, low back pain, nerve ablation
- Medical subject headings
- Sacroiliitis, Low Back Pain
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasoundDevice
Patients in this group will be treated with high intensity focused ultrasound; they will be placed in a prone position and through radiographic guidance, the targeting system of the device will be sequentially positioned in 6-8 points along a line between sacral foramina and sacroiliac joint to produce as many lesions. Before any ablation, a 20 second stimulation at low energy will be performed to confirm the right position of the ultrasound focus than a higher intensity stimulation will be applied to perform the ablation.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| HIFU patients | Experimental | Not described Receives: Device: Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasound |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pain intensity
Numeric rating scale (NRS): the patient has to assign a number from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain) to his pain
Measured: From the enrollment to the end of 6 month follow-up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Jun 2026
- Study startJul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionJul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionJul 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (4)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for SacroiliitisStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Federico II UniversityThe 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
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Federico II University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Pasquale Buonanno, Federico II University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07647757
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- PB002
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 10 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 16 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Gofeld M, Smith KJ, Bhatia A, Djuric V, Leblang S, Rebhun N, Aginsky R, Miller E, Skoglind B, Hananel A. Fluoroscopy-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound neurotomy of the lumbar zygapophyseal joints: a prospective, open-label study. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2025 Jun 10;50(6):464-470. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2024-105345.
PubMed 38580339Gofeld M, Tiennot T, Miller E, Rebhun N, Mobley S, Leblang S, Aginsky R, Hananel A, Aubry JF. Fluoroscopy-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of the lumbar medial branch nerves: dose escalation study and comparison with radiofrequency ablation in a porcine model. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2025 May 6;50(5):429-436. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2024-105417.
PubMed 38508592Aginsky R, LeBlang S, Hananel A, Chen J, Gofeld M, Perez J, Shir Y, Aubry JF. Tolerability and Feasibility of X-ray Guided Non-Invasive Ablation of the Medial Branch Nerve with Focused Ultrasound: Preliminary Proof of Concept in a Pre-clinical Model. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2021 Mar;47(3):640-650. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.10.019. Epub 2020 Nov 28.
PubMed 33261908Mahapatra S, Francois H, Weber-Levine C, Jiang K, Bhimreddy M, Boateng A, Davidar AD, Routkevitch D, Chhatre A, Manbachi A, Theodore N. Focused ultrasound for the treatment of facet joint pain: a systematic review. Neurosurg Focus. 2024 Sep 1;57(3):E9. doi: 10.3171/2024.6.FOCUS24249.
PubMed 39217639
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Safety and Efficacy of Using the Neurolyser XR Device for the Treatment of Sacroiliac Joint Related Low Back Pain
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07647757
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PB002
- Conditions
- Sacroiliitis, Low Back Pain
- Keywords
- HIFU, High intensity focused ultrasound, sacroiliitis, low back pain, nerve ablation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Federico II UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jul 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 15 Jun 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.
Our study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound in the management of low back pain due to sacroiliitis. Sacroiliitis is the inflammation of a joint in the lowest part of the spin and it is one of the cause of low back; the diagnosis is essentially based on clinical examination and the confirmation of this diagnosis relies on a significant pain relief following an infiltration of local anesthetic in the joint. One of the potential treatment is to ablate the nerves which carry the painful stimuli from the joint to the central nervous system through; these nerves enter the spinal canal through the sacral foramina which are two series of four pairs of openings located on the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine. Traditionally, these nerves are ablated by the heat produced by radiofrequency or the cold produced by cryoablation; both techniques require percutaneous needle insertion in close proximity to the targeted nerves, posing potential discomfort and risk of infection for the patient. High intensity focused ultrasound delivered by the device Neurolyser XR uses ultrasounds which are converged to the targeted point thanks to a gel pad positioned on the back of the patient; this mechanism of action does not require sterile conditions as the skin is not pierced and the discomfort of patient is dramatically reduced during the procedure for there is non need to insert and move any needle to properly position it. The correct orientation of the ultrasound beam is guaranteed by the alignment of the targeting system of the device and the X-ray image. The lesion is produced only if there is a bone right under the focus of the ultrasound beam and this is a safety system which assures that no direct injuries of other structures (e.g., vessels, spinal root) can be caused. To date, Neurolyser XR has been extensively used to treat facet joint syndrome through the ablation of the medial branches. However, its application in sacroiliitis has not yet been as deeply investigated.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| HIFU patients | Experimental | Device: Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasound |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Adult males and females, legally able and willing to participate in the study and come for follow-up visits
- Able and willing to fill the research questionnaires and to communicate with investigator and research team
- Patient with bilateral or unilateral sacroiliac joint pain of > 6 months duration
- Patients presenting with a) a positive (>70% pain relief) to a previous nerve ablation procedure of the sacroiliac joint and / or b) with a positive (>70% pain relief) to a previous nerve block procedure of the sacroiliac joint within the last six months)
- Average pain score of 4 or higher in the last month, (on 0-10 scale).
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Pregnant or breastfeeding patient
- Patients presenting with neurological deficits (including lumbosacral radiculopathy but not solitary radicular pain).
- Patients with history of lumbar and / or sacral spine surgery
- Patients with the presence of metal hardware at the lumbosacral spine
- Patients with history of pelvic pathology that may increase procedural risk and / or influence symptoms and / or generate unrelated adverse event (per the discretion of the study principal investigator)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasoundPatients in this group will be treated with high intensity focused ultrasound; they will be placed in a prone position and through radiographic guidance, the targeting system of the device will be sequentially positioned in 6-8 points along a line between sacral foramina and sacroiliac joint to produce as many lesions. Before any ablation, a 20 second stimulation at low energy will be performed to confirm the right position of the ultrasound focus than a higher intensity stimulation will be applied to perform the ablation. | Device | HIFU patients |
Primary outcome
Pain intensity
Time frame: From the enrollment to the end of 6 month follow-up
Numeric rating scale (NRS): the patient has to assign a number from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain) to his pain
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 16 Jun 2026.
- Background: PubMed 38580339Gofeld M, Smith KJ, Bhatia A, Djuric V, Leblang S, Rebhun N, Aginsky R, Miller E, Skoglind B, Hananel A. Fluoroscopy-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound neurotomy of the lumbar zygapophyseal joints: a prospective, open-label study. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2025 Jun 10;50(6):464-470. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2024-105345.
- Background: PubMed 38508592Gofeld M, Tiennot T, Miller E, Rebhun N, Mobley S, Leblang S, Aginsky R, Hananel A, Aubry JF. Fluoroscopy-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of the lumbar medial branch nerves: dose escalation study and comparison with radiofrequency ablation in a porcine model. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2025 May 6;50(5):429-436. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2024-105417.
- Background: PubMed 33261908Aginsky R, LeBlang S, Hananel A, Chen J, Gofeld M, Perez J, Shir Y, Aubry JF. Tolerability and Feasibility of X-ray Guided Non-Invasive Ablation of the Medial Branch Nerve with Focused Ultrasound: Preliminary Proof of Concept in a Pre-clinical Model. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2021 Mar;47(3):640-650. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.10.019. Epub 2020 Nov 28.
- Background: PubMed 39217639Mahapatra S, Francois H, Weber-Levine C, Jiang K, Bhimreddy M, Boateng A, Davidar AD, Routkevitch D, Chhatre A, Manbachi A, Theodore N. Focused ultrasound for the treatment of facet joint pain: a systematic review. Neurosurg Focus. 2024 Sep 1;57(3):E9. doi: 10.3171/2024.6.FOCUS24249.
- 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 Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasound in people with Sacroiliitis and Low Back Pain, run by Federico II University at 1 site in Italy.
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 5 inclusion and 9 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Jun 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 Italy. 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?
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 Pasquale Buonanno, Professor (+39 081 7463705, pasquale.buonanno@unina.it), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pain intensity (time frame: From the enrollment to the end of 6 month follow-up). 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 NCT07647757, which also lists 4 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 16 Jun 2026.