EuroPainClinicsStudy XIr-Zj (EPCS XIr-Zj)

June 16, 2026 updated by: EPC Education s.r.o.

EuroPainClinicsStudy XIr-Zj (Cryoablation vs Radiofrequency Ablation of Medial Nerve Branches of Dorsal Roots Crossing Z Joints)

Determine the efficacy of lumbar medial branch neurotomy by radiofrequency and cryoablation in patients with chronic low back pain

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not 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.

Detailed Description

Facet joint pain encompasses a significant portion of the possible sources of pain in patients with vertebrogenic algic syndrome.A typical symptom caused by facet joint irritation of the medial branch nerve is a back pain with intermittent irregular patchy pain spreading to the legs. The cause of this pain is irritation of the medial branch of the dorsal nerve root which innervates a facet joint. Confirmation of the source of the pain involves local anaesthetic blocks of the medial nerve branches in several adjoining vertebral areas. If this test is positive, then the patient's condition is indicated for radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation of the nerve branches. Description of interventional procedures: Patients with chronic low back pain with confirmed zygapophysial joint pain after previous two medial branch nerve blocks with positive results are indicated for radiofrequency medial neurotomy or alternative cryoablation neurotomy. Navigation with probes in both cases is arranged and directed according to fluoroscopic imaging.

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.
150

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

  • Slovakia
      • Bardejov, Slovakia, 08501
        • MD, PhD, FIPP Rapcan

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients aged between 20 and 80
  • positive two medial branch nerve blocks with pain relief over 80% during the first 12 hours after nerve block application
  • positive patient history of facet joint pain
  • patients with chronic low back pain for at least 6 months with back pain and leg pain (VAS >=5)
  • those who (only if a signature was obtainable), or whose legal guardian, fully understood the clinical trial details and signed the informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • patients with a history of other spinal diseases (compression fracture, spondylitis, tumor)
  • women with positive a pregnancy tests before the trial or who planned to become
  • pregnant within the following 3 years
  • other patients viewed as inappropriate by the staff
  • disagreement with participation in the 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: Single

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: Lumbar medial branch cryoablation
Lumbar medial branch cryoablation Procedure lumbar medial branch cryoablation Decreasing the electrode temperature to - 85 C for 120 seconds in two cycles. Follow-up: before the procedure, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after the procedure Repeated cryoablation ablation procedures are allowed (when VAS will be =/> 4 ) Procedure/Surgery: Lumbar medial branch cryo ablation neurotomy A procedure based on positive lumbar Z- joint testing followed by medial branch neurotomy
Procedure: Lumbar medial branch cryo ablation neurotomy
The procedure is based on positive lumbar Z- joint testing followed by medial branch neurotomy
Experimental: Lumbar medial branch RF neurotomy
Lumbar medial branch RF neurotomy Procedure lumbar medial branch RF neurotomy: Raising the temperature of the tip of the electrode to 85 C for 120 seconds. RF generator. Follow-up: before the procedure, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after the procedure. Repeated cryoablation ablation procedures are allowed (when VAS will be > 4 )
Procedure: Lumbar medial branch radiofrequency ablation neurotomy
The procedure is based on positive lumbar Z- joint testing followed by medial branch neurotomy
Experimental: Lumbar fazet joint decapsulation
Lumbar facet joint decapsulation through an endoscopic approach
Procedure: Endoscopic denervation of fazet joint
The procedure is based on positive lumbar Z- joint testing followed by decapsulation of the facet joint through an endoscopic approach

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 From Baseline EuroQoL-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) Value 12m
Time Frame: 12 months follow-up
EQ-5D-5L self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression
12 months follow-up
Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) 12m
Time Frame: 12 months follow-up
The ODI self-administered questionnaire measuring 0-100 scale
12 months follow-up
Change From Baseline EuroQoL-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) Value 36m
Time Frame: 36 months follow-up
EQ-5D-5L self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression
36 months follow-up
Change From Baseline Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS) of Back Pain 12m
Time Frame: 36 months follow-up
Change From Baseline Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS) of Back Pain 12m measured by VAS 10 point measurement
36 months follow-up
Change From Baseline Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS) of Back Pain 36m
Time Frame: 36 months follow-up
Change From Baseline Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS) of Back Pain 36m measured by VAS 10 point measurement
36 months follow-up
Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) 36m
Time Frame: 36 months follow-up
The ODI self-administered questionnaire measuring 0-100 scale
36 months follow-up

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.
EPC Education s.r.o.

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Slovak Academy of Sciences

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: MD, PhD, FIPP Rapcan, MD, FIPP, R-Clinic Bardejov, Slovakia, 085 01

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.

General Publications

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.
April 2, 2023

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.
July 1, 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.
July 1, 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).
April 2, 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.
April 2, 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.
April 14, 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.
June 18, 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 16, 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

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.
  • 6146/2022/ODDZ-25513

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

publishing results

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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