Assessment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by Shearwave Elastography

January 19, 2026 updated by: Azra Alizad, Mayo Clinic

Treatment Monitoring of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Shear Wave Elastography: A Pilot in Vivo Study

This study is being done to test a new ultrasound method to detect possible stiffness problems within wrist(s). The purpose of this research is to the test the effectiveness of a new ultrasound method to check the nerve and surrounding tissue in both wrist of patient volunteers before and after treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

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

The ultrasound system is FDA approved. The risks associated with this research study are not beyond the normal risk of conventional ultrasound and should not cause you any discomfort. Ultrasound at the intensity levels and duration used in this study has not been shown to present risk to humans. The investigators will conduct the SWE study on the set time point when the patient returns for follow-up after the therapy (surgical decompression or corticosteroid injection).

A set of pictures will be taken of patients wrists by the FDA approved ultrasound system. This system uses a special type of ultrasound for imaging your wrists.

The ultrasound study will be repeated after 3 and 6 months after the treatments.

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 (Estimated)

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.
20

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
    • Arizona
      • Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, 85259
        • Mayo Clinic in Arizona
    • 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

18 years to 100 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male and female volunteers.
  • Age ≥ 18 years old.
  • Having unilateral symptom of wrist pain
  • Scheduled for corticosteroid injection or surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals less than 18 years of age.
  • Prior surgery.
  • People considered in "vulnerable" populations.
  • Having bilateral symptoms

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: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Operative treatment (surgical decompression) for carpal tunnel syndrome
Shear wave elastography (SWE) will be used to assess the stiffness of tissue. Patients will be revaluated at 3 and 6 months post-operatively. Patient will sit done in a chair. The investigators will scan the wrist area of both arms to acquire SWE map. This imaging will be done before the treatment. We will repeat the imaging study at 3 and 6 months after the treatment. Each ultrasound imaging session will take about less than 10 min. The investigators do not expect any discomfort during the imaging.
Device: FDA approved ultrasound system with shear wave elastography capability
The investigators will acquire at least 4 acquisitions for each of 2 locations on the wrist. The objective is to correlate SWE measurements with patient-reported measures of symptom severity and functional status scores and severity of pre-operative electrodiagnostic tests (EDX). Evaluate the treatment response to surgical decompression or corticosteroid injection, using quantitative SWE and correlate the results to repeated patient reported outcomes with Boston CTQ, and objective clinical improvement with Semmes-Weinstein monofilament evaluation for recovery of sensibility, and grip and lateral pinch strength.
Experimental: Corticosteroid injection treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome
Shear wave elastography (SWE) will be used to assess the stiffness of tissue. Patients will be revaluated after 6 weeks following corticosteroid injection. Patient will sit done in a chair. The investigators will scan the wrist area of both arms to acquire SWE map. The investigators do not expect any discomfort during the imaging.
Device: FDA approved ultrasound system with shear wave elastography capability
The investigators will acquire at least 4 acquisitions for each of 2 locations on the wrist. The objective is to correlate SWE measurements with patient-reported measures of symptom severity and functional status scores and severity of pre-operative electrodiagnostic tests (EDX). Evaluate the treatment response to surgical decompression or corticosteroid injection, using quantitative SWE and correlate the results to repeated patient reported outcomes with Boston CTQ, and objective clinical improvement with Semmes-Weinstein monofilament evaluation for recovery of sensibility, and grip and lateral pinch strength.

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
Evaluate the treatment response by shear wave elastography (SWE)
Time Frame: First 3 months
Evaluate the treatment response to surgical decompression or corticosteroid injection, using quantitative SWE and correlate the results to repeated patient reported outcomes with Boston CTQ, and objective clinical improvement with Semmes-Weinstein monofilament evaluation for recovery of sensibility, and grip and lateral pinch strength.
First 3 months

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
Correlate shear wave elastography (SWE) measurements with patient-reported measures of symptom severity and functional status scores and severity of pre-operative electrodiagnostic tests (EDX) elasticity
Time Frame: 3 to 6 months
Determine the severity and patient outcome scores in patients with symptoms of CTS and Correlate the symptom severity and functional status assessed by the Boston Carpal tunnel Questionnaire (CTQ)21 validated patient outcome scoring profile) in patients with diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome with SWE determined median nerve (MN) stiffness.
3 to 6 months

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: Azra Alizad, 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.
March 15, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 20, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 20, 2026

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 16, 2021

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 16, 2021

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 18, 2021

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.
January 21, 2026

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.
January 19, 2026

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.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 21-001106

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

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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