Interest of the Virtual Reality as an Analgesic Support and in the Management the Pre-procedural Anxiety in Rheumatology (REAVIR)

June 30, 2026 updated by: Centre Hospitalier le Mans
As a part of the current rheumatological practice skills, epidural injections through the sacrococcygeal hiatus take part in the strategy for managing radicular diseases. This technical act is easily performed in an outpatient context since it is a brief procedure, performed under clinical and ultrasound control, with good tolerance. Nevertheless, epidural injections by the way of the sacrococcygeal hiatus can be responsible of anxiety for the patient and meet the definition of pain induced by treatment. Among the non-pharmacological methods that can be offered to the patient in this context, hypnosis and distraction allow psycho-corporal support acting on certain factors influencing the painful experience of the gesture: duration of the gesture, calm and pleasant environment, etc... That is the context in which the use of virtual reality is of interest. Its use in supporting procedures generating induced pain has already been evaluated in several studies, in particular in the fields of surgery and anaesthesiology. The use of a virtual reality device also seems suitable in the context of epidural injections, but this theoretical and plausible interest remains to be demonstrated. To our knowledge, the literature on the use of a virtual reality headset to support invasive procedures in rheumatology remains poorly developed. The objective of this study is therefore to assess the interest of using a virtual reality headset in the support of pain relief and the management of peri-procedural anxiety when performing epidural injections through the sacrococcygeal hiatus.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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.
70

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • France
      • Le Mans, France, 72000
        • Recruiting
        • Centre Hospitalier du Mans
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Amélie DENIS, MD
        • Contact:

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 and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patient (age ≥ 18 years)
  • Hospitalized in a day-hospitalization department at the General Hospital of Le Mans
  • For whom a diagnosis of radiculalgia with a duration of less than 6 months is made, for which the imaging is compatible with the symptoms according to the clinician's interpretation
  • For whom the indication of at least 2 epidural injections by the way of the sacrococcygeal hiatus is retained
  • Having never experienced an epidural injection through the sacrococcygeal hiatus
  • Patient able and willing to answer the auto-administered surveys
  • Person affiliated or beneficiary of a social security
  • Free, informed and written consent signed by the participant and the investigator (at the latest on the day of inclusion and before any examination required by the research) after oral and written information

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient with comorbidity of epilepsy
  • Patient with a contraindication to performing epidural injections through the sacrococcygeal hiatus
  • Patient suffering from blindness and / or deafness
  • Person with a known significant intolerance towards the use of screens and / or virtual reality devices
  • Patient receiving benzodiazepines and / or other sedative treatment
  • Patient with a known depressive disease followed by a psychiatrist
  • Pregnant, breastfeeding or parturient woman
  • Person deprived of liberty by judicial or administrative decision
  • Person under forced psychiatric care
  • Person subject to legal protection
  • Person unable to express consent
  • Patient who had participated in an interventional study during the last 30 days
  • Severely impaired physical and / or mental health which, according to the investigator, may affect the compliance of the study participant

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover 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: Using the virtual reality headset for the first injection
Performing the first ultrasound-guided epidural injection through the sacrococcygeal hiatus using the virtual reality headset, then the second injection following the usual conditions of care without the device
Device: Virtual reality headset for first injection
Performing the first ultrasound-guided epidural injection through the sacrococcygeal hiatus using the virtual reality headset
Experimental: Using the virtual reality headset for the second injection
Performing the first ultrasound-guided epidural injection through the sacrococcygeal hiatus following the usual conditions of care, then the second injection using the virtual reality headset
Device: Virtual reality headset for second injection
Performing the second ultrasound-guided epidural injection through the sacrococcygeal hiatus using the virtual reality headset

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
Evaluation of peri-procedural anxiety when performing epidural injections through the sacrococcygeal hiatus
Time Frame: Day 7
Peri-procedural anxiety was measured with State and Trait Anxiety Index (STAI)
Day 7

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
Assessment of the patient's anxiety
Time Frame: Immediately after intervention
Assessment of the patient's peri-procedural anxiety using the French version of the APAIS
Immediately after intervention
Measure of the duration of the intervention
Time Frame: Immediately after intervention
Immediately after intervention
Assessment of patient's pain
Time Frame: During intervention
Evaluation of maximum periprocedural pain on a numerical scale from 0 to 10
During intervention
Evaluation of the patient satisfaction
Time Frame: Immediately after intervention
Evaluation of the patient satisfaction with the virtual reality device on a 4-level scale, with values of 1, 2, 3 and 4 (quantitative variable).
Immediately after intervention
Evaluation of the practitioner satisfaction
Time Frame: Immediately after intervention
Evaluation of the practitioner satisfaction with the virtual reality device on a 4-level scale, with values of 1, 2, 3 and 4 (quantitative variable)
Immediately after intervention
Evaluation of lumbar and radicular pain
Time Frame: Before intervention
Assessment of lumbar pain on a numerical scale from 0 to 10 and of radicular pain on a numerical scale from numerical scale from 0 to 10
Before intervention
Tolerance and Comfort Questionnaire
Time Frame: Immediately after intervention
Immediately after intervention
Record of undesirable events
Time Frame: Before intervention
Before intervention

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.
Centre Hospitalier le Mans

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.
June 10, 2022

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 31, 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 31, 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 3, 2022

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 11, 2022

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 22, 2022

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.
July 1, 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.
June 30, 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.
June 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.
  • CHM-2021/S07/08

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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