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Procedure

Decompression vs. Fusion Surgery for Spinal Wear

N/A
Recruiting
Led By Daniel Tobert, MD
Research Sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Patients with any prior posterior fusion involving L2 to the sacrum, whether single-level or multilevel
Be older than 18 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post-operation
Awards & highlights

Study Summary

This trial is comparing decompression (a surgery to relieve pressure on the spine) with decompression and fusion (a surgery to relieve pressure on the spine and joining two or more vertebrae together) for adjacent segment disease (a condition where the spine above or below a previous surgery starts to show signs of wear).

Who is the study for?
This trial is for adults who've had lumbar fusion surgery involving L2 to the sacrum and are experiencing symptoms at the level above their fusion despite six weeks of non-surgical treatment. They should be at least one year post-op from a previous instrumented posterior lumbar fusion. Those with uninstrumented fusions, trauma, tumors, infections at the adjacent segment, prior pelvic fixations or instability won't qualify.Check my eligibility
What is being tested?
The study aims to compare two surgical approaches for Adjacent Segment Disease in the spine: decompression alone versus decompression combined with an extension of existing spinal instrumentation and fusion. Participants will be randomly assigned to either group to see which method is more effective.See study design
What are the potential side effects?
Potential side effects may include typical surgical risks such as infection, bleeding, nerve damage or worsening of symptoms. Fusion surgery might also lead to stiffness and longer recovery times compared to decompression alone.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
Select...
I have had spine surgery involving L2 to the sacrum.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post-operation
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post-operation for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary outcome measures
Global Health, Physical
Physical Function, short form 10a (SF10a)
Secondary outcome measures
Anxiety, short form 4a (SF4a)
Depression, short form 4a (SF4a)
Global Health, Mental
+5 more

Trial Design

2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Observational: Extension FusionExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Eligible patients may have a preference for the surgical procedure they wish to have. In these instances, they may choose to undergo a decompression alone or a decompression with extension of fusion. These patients are eligible for the study and will be enrolled under observational arms. This arm refers to the decompression with extension of fusion observational study arm.
Group II: Observational: DecompressionExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Eligible patients may have a preference for the surgical procedure they wish to have. In these instances, they may choose to undergo a decompression alone or a decompression with extension of fusion. These patients are eligible for the study and will be enrolled under observational arms. This arm refers to the decompression alone observational study arm.

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Massachusetts General HospitalLead Sponsor
2,932 Previous Clinical Trials
13,198,394 Total Patients Enrolled
Daniel Tobert, MDPrincipal InvestigatorMassachusetts General Hospital

Media Library

Decompression (Procedure) Clinical Trial Eligibility Overview. Trial Name: NCT04542720 — N/A
Adjacent Segment Disease Research Study Groups: Observational: Extension Fusion, Observational: Decompression
Adjacent Segment Disease Clinical Trial 2023: Decompression Highlights & Side Effects. Trial Name: NCT04542720 — N/A
Decompression (Procedure) 2023 Treatment Timeline for Medical Study. Trial Name: NCT04542720 — N/A

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

Are there any remaining opportunities for individuals to join this clinical trial?

"The details hosted on clinicaltrials.gov demonstrate that, as of April 4th 2022, this trial is actively recruiting volunteers. This medical research was first published September 1st 2020."

Answered by AI

What results are researchers expecting to attain from this trial?

"The primary outcome of this investigation, which will be assessed over a 3-month, 6-month, 1 year and 2 years period post-procedure is Global Health Physical. Secondary outcomes include Hospital Length of Stay (quantified by the duration of hospitalisation after treatment), Pain Interference (using Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System [PROMIS] scores ranging from 41 to 76; higher score signifies improved results) and Depression (measured using PROMIS with scores between 41 - 80)."

Answered by AI

How many individuals have been selected to participate in this medical experiment?

"Affirmative. The information on clinicaltrials.gov indicates that this medical trial is actively looking for participants, having been initially posted on September 1st 2020 and most recently updated on April 4th 2022. In order to fulfil the study's requirements, 96 volunteers must be recruited from a single site."

Answered by AI
Recent research and studies
~26 spots leftby Sep 2025