SPG Pulsed Radiofrequency for Chronic Cluster Headache

January 23, 2025 updated by: Fang Luo, Beijing Tiantan Hospital

The Efficacy and Safety of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment for Chronic Cluster Headache

Cluster headache (CH) is a devastating disorder characterized by ipsilateral headache and associated trigeminal autonomic symptoms, with a yearly prevalence of 0.1%. There is a huge clinically unmet demand for an effective therapeutic method for CH. Previous evidences indicate that pulse radiofrequency (PRF) targeting the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is a safe, minimally invasive, effective treatment for CH. This randomized, controlled trial aimed to establish the safety and efficacy of SPG PRF for patients with chronic CH.

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.
108

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
    • Beijing
      • Beijing, Beijing, China, 100070

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:

  • Chronic cluster headache;
  • At least four attacks per week;
  • Minimum age of 18 years;
  • Non-response to verapamil and lithium treatment in the past, intolerance, or contraindication to verapamil and lithium, along with non-response, intolerance, or contraindica-tion to topiramate, or gabapentin.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding;
  • Presence of cardiac pacemaker or other neuromodulatory devices;
  • Pyschiatric and cognitive disorders;
  • Serious drug habituation or overuse of acute-headache medication;
  • History of stroke or intracranial aneurysm, or at risk for serious or acute cardiovascular events;
  • Infection at the puncture site;
  • Previous history of invasive treatments such as sphenopalatine ganglion radiofrequency thermocoagulation and chemical destruction.

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: PRF group
Procedure: PRF
After the puncture needle reached the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG), patients in the PRF group received PRF treatment in automatic mode for 360 s, at a maximum of 42°C, pulse frequency of 2 Hz, and pulse width of 20 ms.
Active Comparator: Nerve Block Group
Procedure: NB
After the puncture needle reached the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG), patients in the NB group received nerve block with a mixture of 40 mg of triamcinolone and 2 ml of 0.75% bupivacaine with 2 ml of normal saline and 1:100000 epinephrine.

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
The mean attack frequency in the last 4 weeks (week 8-12) after procedure
Time Frame: In the last 4 weeks (week 8-12) after procedure
The overall mean change from baseline in mean weekly attack frequency
In the last 4 weeks (week 8-12) after procedure

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
Mean attack frequency
Time Frame: From baseline to each 4-week interval through 1 year after procedure
Mean change in mean attack frequency
From baseline to each 4-week interval through 1 year after procedure
50% reduction of mean attack frequency
Time Frame: From baseline to each 4-week interval through 1 year after procedure
Percentage of patients with a 50% reduction in mean attack frequency
From baseline to each 4-week interval through 1 year after procedure
30% reduction of mean attack frequency
Time Frame: From baseline to each 4-week interval through 1 year after procedure
Percentage of patients with a 30% reduction in mean attack frequency
From baseline to each 4-week interval through 1 year after procedure
Patient Global Impression of Improvement
Time Frame: At month 1, month 2, month 3, month 6, and month 12 after procedure
Percentage of patients reporting a score of 1 (''very much better'') or 2 (''much better'')
At month 1, month 2, month 3, month 6, and month 12 after procedure
Mean attack intensity
Time Frame: From baseline to each 4-week interval through 1 year after procedure
0-10 on the numeric rating scale, with 0 equating no pain and 10 the worst pain possible
From baseline to each 4-week interval through 1 year after procedure
Patient satisfaction scores
Time Frame: At month 1, month 2, month 3, month 6, and month 12 after procedure
0 point indicates unsatisfied to 10 points indicate very satisfied. The higher the score, the more dissatisfied the patient is.
At month 1, month 2, month 3, month 6, and month 12 after procedure
The incidence of perioperative adverse events
Time Frame: Across 1 year after procedure
Perioperative adverse events (AEs) including headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, facial hematoma, and numbness in the area innervated by the maxillary nerve
Across 1 year after procedure

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.
Beijing Tiantan Hospital

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.
January 24, 2025

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, 2029

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, 2030

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 15, 2025

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.
January 16, 2025

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 25, 2025

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.
March 25, 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.
January 23, 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.
January 1, 2025

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.
  • KY 2018-027-02-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author Fang Luo on request.

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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