Adult Bladder and Quality of Life Evaluation in Spina Bifida (ABLE-SB)

June 10, 2026 updated by: Blayne Welk

Patient Reported Outcomes for Bladder Management Strategies in Young Adults With Spina Bifida

Spina bifida (SB) is a birth defect that affects the spine, often causing paralysis in the legs and problems with bladder and bowel control. Managing these bladder issues is important, but different methods, like using a catheter or surgery, can impact a person's quality of life. This study looks at how different bladder management methods affect the quality of life for young people with SB. Researchers will ask people with SB to complete a survey about how they manage their bladder and how it impacts their daily lives. The main goal is to find out if certain bladder management methods are associated with a better quality of life. This information could help doctors make better treatment decisions and counsel young people living with SB.

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.

Detailed Description

Spina bifida is a congenital defect of the spine where some of the spinal cord and its covering (meninges) are exposed through a gap in the lower back or sacrum; this often results in paralysis of the lower limbs. The majority of spina bifida (SB) patients also have pelvic floor dysfunction (bladder, bowel, prolapse, sexual function) because of neurologic damage to this portion of the spinal nerves, and this increases the risk of their long-term morbidity. These problems place a substantial burden on patients' physical health and quality of life (QoL). Serious urological complications, such as urosepsis, skin breakdown, and renal failure, can occur in this patient population due to bladder dysfunction. Approximately 50% of young adults with SB have renal dysfunction, 50% have urinary incontinence, and they are nine times more likely to present with urinary tract infections. The "gold standard" bladder management strategy when a person with SB is unable to void spontaneously is to perform clean intermittent catheterization (CIC). Alternatives to CIC include spontaneous voiding (if possible), incontinence products, an indwelling catheter (IDC), or reconstructive surgery (to create a urinary diversion or to enable CIC). However, IDC and surgery have increased risks of specific complications, including the risk of bladder cancer, urethral damage, urinary infections, and surgical morbidity. People with SB usually discuss bladder management options with their urologist, however they may prioritize a variety of factors around bladder management that directly affect their QOL, and these may not be as apparent to urologists. This is further complicated when patients reach adolescence and young adulthood; at this age they transition from pediatric to adult care providers, all while transitioning in other areas of their life (such as increasing responsibility, cognitive growth, and a wish for more independence). These factors may all impact thoughts about bladder management. Few studies have addressed QoL in relation to different bladder/bowel management methods in this SB age group, and most have not considered things like health literacy and cognitive function.

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.
Observational

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.
300

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

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

To be included in the study, participants have to be adolescents (13-17 years of age) or adults (≥18 years of age) with SB and no acute health changes. SB included all types, including SB occulta, meningocele, lipomeningocele, and myelomeningocele. The investigators are interested in including the SB transitional age group as well, recognizing this age group represents unique and diverse psychosocial, cognitive and functional abilities.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Diagnosis of SB
  2. Age ≥13 years of age
  3. Able to effectively communicate in English or Spanish
  4. Willing to provide informed consent for participation and answer a set of questionnaires

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Reconstructive surgery or urinary diversion in the last 3 months
  2. Hospital admission in the last 1 month
  3. Inconsistent or newly changed (within the last month) method of bladder management

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Voiding/incontinence
SB patients who manage their bladder with voiding/incontinence
CIC
SB patients who manage their bladder with clean intermittent catheters
Diversion
SB patients who manage their urination with a surgical bladder diversion
Indwelling catheter
SB patients who manage their bladder with an indwelling catheter

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
QUAlity of Life Assessment in Spina bifida (bladder and bowel quality of life domain)
Time Frame: At the time of enrollment
The QUALAS is a validated quality of life measure for teens and adults with spina bifida. It is scored from 0-100, with a higher score meaning better QOL
At the time of enrollment

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
Neurogenic Bladder Symptom Score-Short Form
Time Frame: At time of enrollment
The NBSS-SF is a validated assessment of bladder symptom burden
At time of enrollment

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.
Blayne Welk

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.
London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

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: Blayne Welk, MD MSc, Western 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.
January 1, 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.
October 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.
November 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).
June 4, 2026

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.
June 4, 2026

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.
June 11, 2026

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 12, 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 10, 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.
  • 15140 (City of Hope Medical Center)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

The investigators will consider sharing data on a case by case basis, after the primary analysis is complete.

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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