Clinical Study of the Treatment of Chiari Malformation Combined With Type II Skull Base Depression

April 22, 2026 updated by: Yuntao Lu, Southern Medical University, China

Clinical Study of Atlanto-occipital Decompression Lateral Joint Release Combined With Occipital-neck Fusion in the Treatment of Chiari Malformation Combined With Type II Skull Base Depression

The research background of this study is that Chiari malformation (CM) is a congenital malformation in the foramen magnum region, often associated with syringomyelia, basilar depression, odontoid dislocation and other craniocervical junction deformities. The traditional surgical method for Chiari malformation with skull basilar depression is simple decompression without fixation, so it cannot effectively maintain the stability of the cervical spine and reduce the compression of the brainstem and cervical cord, often resulting in poor curative effect and aggravated symptoms. The cervical spine is the most flexible and most mobile part of the spine, and the instability of the cervical spine will directly affect the quality of life of patients after surgery. Subsequently, with the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous development and improvement of surgical methods, Investigators can relieve spinal cord compression by using atlanto-occipital decompression and dissection followed by C1/2 lateral arthrolysis combined with occipitocervical fusion. So, is this surgical combination the most effective surgery for patients with Chiari malformation and type II skull basilar depression? How should doctors adjust to the best surgical approach to treat patients with Chiari malformation and type II skull basilar depression? These questions have long puzzled neurosurgeons. By conducting this research, investigators hope that participants can participate in it, and work with them to answer this question, and jointly promote the development and progress of doctors' careers, while benefiting more patients.

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.

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.
64

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

  • China
    • Guangdong
      • Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 510515
        • Nan fang hospital, Southern medical university

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 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical diagnosis of Chiari malformation
  • Combined with type II skull base depression
  • Clinical symptoms related to the disease
  • Complete clinical imaging data
  • Must be the first surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Secondary cerebellar tonsillar hernia
  • Severe atlantoaxial dislocation
  • Osteochondroplastica
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Down syndrome
  • Refurbished case reoperation

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: 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: Experimental: FMD + C1/2 Facet Release + OCF
All patients underwent preoperative dynamic CT scans in flexion, neutral, and extension positions, and all were treated surgically with atlanto-occipital decompression, CI/2 lateral articular release, combined with occipital-cervical fusion.
Procedure: Atlas occipital decompression lateral joint release combined with occipital-neck fusion
A. Chiari malformation combined with type II Basilar invagination showed that the slope spinal canal angle decreased, and the position of the dentition moved up. The yellow fusion device in the picture is C1/2 lateral inter-articular Cage (the patent granted by the applicant for this project); B. After atlanto-occipital decompression, C1/2 lateral inter-articular release is performed, and a fusion device is implanted to move down the position of the tip of the tooth process to reduce the compression of the cervical medulla oblongata; C. Implantation of the posterior neck nail rod system; D. Improve the angle of the sloped spinal canal by posterior compression rod technique (Cantilever) to further reduce the compression on the superior cervical medulla oblongata.
Active Comparator: Active Comparator: Simple FMD + Outer Dural Delamination
Patients in this arm will receive the traditional standard procedure, which consists of simple bony foramen magnum decompression combined with outer dural delamination (without opening the inner layer of the dura mater to reduce complications).
Procedure: Simple FMD with Outer Dural Delamination
This arm utilizes the traditional standard strategy, distinct from the comprehensive fusion in the experimental arm. The specific distinguishing details are: Performing strictly anatomical decompression ONLY. This involves bony foramen magnum decompression combined with outer dural delamination (without opening the inner layer of the dura mater). This arm specifically EXCLUDES C1/2 facet joint release, cage implantation, and any form of occipitocervical internal fixation or biomechanical reconstruction.

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
Chang of Chicago Chiari outcome score
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
The Chicago Chiari Malformation Prognosis Scale (CCOS) is a comprehensive quantitative scoring criterion for surgical prognosis in patients with Chiari malformations, first proposed by the Department of Neurosurgery of the University of Chicago School of Medicine. CCOS covered four scoring criteria, including improvement in pain symptoms, improvement in non-pain symptoms, ability to live, and surgery-related complications, with a single score of 1-4 for a total score of 4 to 16, and at the last follow-up, the higher the patient's score indicated the better the patient's postoperative prognosis.
through study completion, an average of 1 year

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
Occurrence of complications
Time Frame: The second week after surgery
1)Minor complications such as pain, neck stiffness, and poor wound healing. 2)Serious complications such as vertebral artery injury, dyspnea, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and severe intracranial infection.
The second week after surgery
Chang of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Measurements of radiographic improvement, such as cerebellar tonsillar hernia length.
through study completion, an average of 1 year
Chang of Visual Analog Score for pain
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Visual Analog Score stands for visual analogue scoring method and is one of the commonly used pain scoring criteria. The main thing is to draw a 10cm horizontal line on the paper, the beginning end is 0, the other end is 10, the middle part represents different degrees of pain, let the patient choose the degree of pain by himself. A score below 3 represents mild pain; 4-6 are divided into pain that interferes with sleep, but is tolerable; A score of 7-10 indicates unbearable pain.
through study completion, an average of 1 year
Chang of Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scores
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
The patient's lumbar spine function and improvement were mainly evaluated from four aspects: subjective symptoms, daily activity ability, clinical signs, and bladder function. The scoring range is 0~29 points, and the higher the total score, the milder the patient's condition.
through study completion, an average of 1 year
Chang of Neck Disability Index
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Neck Disability Index consists of 10 items, including: neck pain and related symptoms (pain intensity, headache, concentration and sleep) and activities of daily living (personal care, lifting heavy objects, reading, work, driving and playing). Each item has a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 5, with higher scores indicating greater levels of dysfunction.
through study completion, an average of 1 year

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.
Southern Medical University, China

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.
  • Study Chair: yutao lu, 2Nanfang Neurology Research Institution, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

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 1, 2023

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.
December 12, 2024

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.
December 16, 2024

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).
January 28, 2023

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.
February 28, 2023

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 6, 2023

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.
April 28, 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.
April 22, 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.
April 1, 2026

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.
  • NFEC-2022-440

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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