A Strategy for Gallstone Expulsion Through Dietary Therapy

December 24, 2025 updated by: Wenbo Meng, Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery Institute of Gansu Province

A New Strategy for Gallstone Expulsion Through Dietary Therapy: A Prospective, Single-Center, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

This study is a double-blind, prospective, single-center controlled trial conducted at a tertiary hospital, aiming to determine whether dietary therapy can effectively expel gallstones.

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.

Detailed Description

Gallstones are a common clinical condition, and their prevalence has been increasing globally in recent years. Gallstone formation is a result of various combined factors, and in its early stages, gallstones often exist in a sludge-like form. Currently, there is no definitive research on whether gallbladder sludge can be effectively expelled through medication or dietary therapy. Therefore, the investigators are conducting a double-blind, prospective, single-center controlled trial to verify whether gallbladder sludge-like stones can be effectively expelled using dietary therapy.

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.
100

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
    • Gansu
      • Lanzhou, Gansu, China, 730000
        • Recruiting
        • Long Deng
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Wenbo Meng, MD,PhD
        • 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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Gallbladder sludge-like stones with a maximum stone diameter of less than 2 mm

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)
  • Previous gallstone removal surgery with gallbladder preservation
  • History of acute or chronic pancreatitis, cholangitis
  • Mirizzi Syndrome
  • History of gastrointestinal surgery
  • Gastrointestinal obstruction
  • Dysfunction of the sphincter of Oddi
  • Gallbladder neck polyps
  • Abnormal gallbladder structure
  • Gallbladder mass
  • Biliary infection or stones
  • Congenital biliary abnormalities
  • Biliary injury or surgery
  • Biliary tumors
  • Gastrointestinal bleeding, liver cirrhosis, or other malignant diseases
  • Significant arrhythmia, bradycardia, or atrioventricular block
  • Severe hypertension, liver or kidney insufficiency
  • Immune, endocrine, hematological, or mental disorders
  • Severe cerebrovascular disease
  • Allergy to relevant foods
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Unwillingness or inability to consent to participation

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: Quadruple

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: Functional fatty acids
Oral Administration of functional fatty acids
Drug: Functional fatty acids
Days 1-3: Oral Administration of functional fatty acids Days 4-6: Oral Administration of functional fatty acids
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Oral Administration of Placebo
Other: Placebo
Days 1-3: Placebo Days 4-6: Oral Administration of functional fatty acids

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
Number of patients with complete expulsion of gallbladder sludge after three days of intervention
Time Frame: 7 days
Determined by ultrasound examination before and after the intervention to assess whether gallbladder sludge has been fully expelled
7 days
2）Number of patients with complete expulsion of gallbladder sludge after six days of intervention
Time Frame: 7 days
Determined by ultrasound examination before and after the intervention to assess whether gallbladder sludge has been fully expelled
7 days

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
Gallbladder Volume
Time Frame: 7 days
Measured by ultrasound (L × W × D × 0.52)
7 days
Gallbladder Wall Thickness
Time Frame: 7 days
Measured by ultrasound, accurate to 0.1 mm
7 days
Serum bilirubin
Time Frame: 7 days
Determined by lab examination within 3.4-17.1μmol/L
7 days
Presence of Abdominal Pain Post-Intervention
Time Frame: 7 days
If abdominal pain is present, it will be assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) within 0-10, The higher the score, the more serious it is
7 days
Occurrence of Acute Pancreatitis Post-Intervention
Time Frame: 14 days
Pain and Amy >3times as normal
14 days
Occurrence of Gastrointestinal Bleeding Post-Intervention
Time Frame: 14 days
Black stool or decrease of HB
14 days
Nausea, Vomiting, and Diarrhea Post-Intervention
Time Frame: 14 days
Frequency of Nausea, Vomiting, and Diarrhea Post-Intervention
14 days

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.
Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery Institute of Gansu Province

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: Wenbo Meng, M.D., Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery Institute of Gansu Province

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.
December 24, 2024

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 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.
December 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).
November 16, 2024

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.
November 19, 2024

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.
November 21, 2024

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.
December 31, 2025

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.
December 24, 2025

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.
December 1, 2025

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.
  • Gallstone Expulsion

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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