Ultrasound Greater Occipital Nerve Block at C2 Level Compared to Landmark-based Greater Occipital Nerve Block

June 14, 2021 updated by: Matthew Pingree, Mayo Clinic

Ultrasound-guided Greater Occipital Nerve Block at the C2 Level Compared to Landmark-based Greater Occipital Nerve Block: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study will compare the analgesic benefit of a traditional landmark-guided GON block with the ultrasound-guided approach over a four week period in patients with occipital neuralgia or cervicogenic headache.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Hypothesis: A novel ultrasound-guided greater occipital nerve (GON) block at the level of C2 will result in significantly lower pain scores after 4 weeks when compared with a traditional landmark-guided approach at the superior nuchal line.

The greater occipital nerve (GON) has been implicated in several conditions that prompt referral to pain medicine specialists, including occipital neuralgia and cervicogenic headache. According to the International Headache Society, a local anesthetic block of the GON can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of occipital neuralgia. Many practitioners perform GON injections using a conventional approach, relying solely on superficial bone-based anatomic landmarks to infiltrate local anesthetic and corticosteroid around the nerve at the level of the superior nuchal line. The ambiguity of these injections poses a risk of anesthetizing adjacent structures or injecting into vessels, such as the occipital artery.

In an attempt to mitigate these risks and improve the efficacy of GON injections, ultrasound has been increasingly utilized. Multiple studies have demonstrated successful ultrasound-guided GON blockade at the superior nuchal line and improvement in pain scores compared to non-guided injections. The investigators' preliminary data confirms the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of an ultrasound-guided GON block technique at the level of C2, but it is not yet known whether this technique provides greater pain relief and functional outcomes compared to traditional injections.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
32

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Unilateral or bilateral headache symptoms attributed to occipital neuralgia or cervicogenic headache as defined by the International Headache Society's International Classification of Headache Disorders (3rd edition beta version)
  2. Age 18 years and older (no upper age limit defined)
  3. Imaging of cervical spine within last year (either x-ray, MRI or CT)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. History of cervical spine surgery, trauma, or surgical procedure involving head or neck during the last year
  2. Use of new preventative medications 1 month prior or during study enrollment
  3. Evidence of impaired sensation in the GON dermatome region (posterior scalp to the vertex of the cranium) from neurological, dermatological, or other disease process
  4. Evidence of cranial defect or other anatomical abnormality near the target injection site
  5. History of bleeding diathesis, coagulopathy, or current use of anticoagulant medications
  6. Pregnancy
  7. History of adverse reaction or allergy to local anesthetic agents or corticosteroids
  8. Occipital nerve block within the past three months.
  9. Unavailability for appropriate follow-up throughout the whole duration of study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Ultrasound Guided GON Block at C2
Ultrasound Guided Greater Occipital Nerve Block at C2
Procedure: Ultrasound Guided Greater Occipital Nerve Block at C2
Ultrasound guided injection
Active Comparator: Landmark based GON Block
Landmark-Based Greater Occipital Nerve Block
Procedure: Landmark-Based Greater Occipital Nerve Block
Traditional landmark-guided technique at the superior nuchal line. This approach relies solely on superficial bone-based anatomic landmarks to infiltrate local anesthetic and corticosteroid around the nerve at the level of the superior nuchal line.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) Pain Score
Time Frame: baseline, 4 weeks
Pain intensity will be assessed using a NRS marked from 0-10 with fixed intervals, with 0=no pain, and 10=worst pain.
baseline, 4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in number of patients with medication overuse
Time Frame: baseline, 4 weeks
The subjects will be provided a headache journal to record the number of days they have been using each of their analgesic medications. Medication overuse will be defined as the use of acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs > 14 days a month, triptan, ergotamine, or combination-analgesic medications (e.g.,caffeine containing) medications >9 days a month, and opioid or butalbital containing medications >5 days a month.
baseline, 4 weeks
Change in number of headache days per month
Time Frame: baseline, 4 weeks
The number of headache days per month will be obtained at baseline prior to injection in the pain clinic and at 4 weeks post-injection via telephone.
baseline, 4 weeks
Change in Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) Score
Time Frame: baseline, 4 weeks
The HIT-6 show the effect that headaches have on normal daily life and the subject's ability to function. It consists of 6 questions; possible responses being never (6 points each), rarely (8 points each), sometimes (10 points each), very often (11 points each), and always (13 points each). The total score ranges from 36 (little to no impact) to 78 (very severe impact).
baseline, 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Mayo Clinic

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Matthew J Pingree, MD, Mayo Clinic

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 17, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 14, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 14, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 21, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 21, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 27, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 15, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 14, 2021

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 17-002724

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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