Ultrasound-Guided Repeated Saline Injections to Prevent and Treat Tendon Adhesions After Hand Tendon Repair

October 15, 2026 updated by: Kai Wang

A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of Ultrasound-Guided Repeated Normal Saline Injections for Preventing and Treating Tendon Adhesion

Scar tissue can form around a repaired tendon and restrict finger movement. This study will evaluate whether repeated ultrasound-guided normal saline injections, in addition to standard postoperative rehabilitation, can help prevent and treat tendon adhesion after surgical repair of zone II flexor tendon injuries.

The study is a prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial involving 80 adults aged 18 to 60 years with a zone II flexor tendon rupture in the index, middle, ring, or little finger. Participants will be assigned to one of two groups, with 40 participants in each group. Participants in both groups will receive the same standard postoperative rehabilitation treatment, including early active finger mobilization. In addition to this rehabilitation, the experimental group will receive ultrasound-guided percutaneous injections of 1 mL of normal saline at the tendon adhesion site on postoperative days 7, 14, and 21. The control group will receive standard postoperative rehabilitation alone, without postoperative normal saline injections.

The primary outcome is total active motion of the repaired finger at 3 months after surgery. Finger movement, pain, hand function, postoperative finger infection, and tendon rupture will also be assessed at the scheduled follow-up visits.

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

This prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial will be conducted at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of repeated ultrasound-guided normal saline injections as an adjunct to standard postoperative rehabilitation for preventing and treating tendon adhesion after flexor tendon repair.

A total of 80 participants aged 18 to 60 years with a zone II flexor tendon rupture in the index, middle, ring, or little finger who are scheduled to undergo tendon repair will be enrolled. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the experimental group or the control group.

Participants in both groups will undergo tendon repair and receive the same standard postoperative rehabilitation treatment, including early active finger mobilization. In addition to standard rehabilitation, participants in the experimental group will receive ultrasound-guided percutaneous injections of 1 mL of normal saline at the identified tendon adhesion site on postoperative days 7, 14, and 21. Dynamic ultrasound imaging will be used to observe the distribution of normal saline in the tendon repair region. Participants in the control group will receive standard postoperative rehabilitation alone, without postoperative normal saline injections.

Follow-up assessments will be performed at 6 weeks and 3 months after surgery. The primary outcome is total active motion (TAM) at 3 months after surgery, expressed in degrees and analyzed as a continuous variable. Secondary outcomes include TAM at 6 weeks and visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) scores, postoperative finger infection rates, and tendon rupture rates at 6 weeks and 3 months.

Safety assessments will include physical examination, vital signs, complete blood count, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Adverse events will be recorded and evaluated throughout the study.

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.
80

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
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200233
        • Recruiting
        • Shanghai sixth people's hospital
        • 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

18 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18 to 60 years.
  2. Zone II flexor tendon rupture in the index, middle, ring, or little finger.
  3. Scheduled to undergo tendon repair surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Concomitant irreparable vascular and/or nerve injury.
  2. History of diabetes mellitus.
  3. History of treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  4. History of cardiac insufficiency.
  5. History of hematologic disease.
  6. History of hepatic or renal dysfunction.
  7. History of rheumatic or autoimmune disease.
  8. History of chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
  9. History of steroid treatment.
  10. Pregnancy.
  11. Concurrent participation in another clinical trial.

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: Ultrasound-Guided Repeated Normal Saline Injections

Participants will undergo flexor tendon repair and receive ultrasound-guided percutaneous injections of 1 mL of normal saline at the identified tendon adhesion site on postoperative days 7, 14, and 21.
Procedure: Ultrasound-Guided Repeated Normal Saline Injections

Normal saline will be administered by ultrasound-guided percutaneous injection at the identified tendon adhesion site after flexor tendon repair. Each injection will contain 1 mL of normal saline. Injections will be performed on postoperative days 7, 14, and 21.
No Intervention: No Postoperative Normal Saline Injection

Participants will undergo flexor tendon repair without postoperative normal saline injections.

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
Total Active Motion at 3 Months After Surgery
Time Frame: 3 months after surgery

Total active motion (TAM) of the surgically repaired finger, expressed in degrees and analyzed as a continuous measure of joint motion.
3 months after surgery

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
Total Active Motion at 6 Weeks After Surgery
Time Frame: 6 weeks after surgery

Total active motion (TAM) of the surgically repaired finger, expressed in degrees and analyzed as a continuous measure of joint motion.
6 weeks after surgery
Visual Analog Scale Pain Score
Time Frame: 6 weeks and 3 months after surgery

Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), with scores ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity and a worse outcome.
6 weeks and 3 months after surgery
Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire Score
Time Frame: 6 weeks and 3 months after surgery

Hand function will be assessed using the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ). The overall score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better hand function and a better outcome.
6 weeks and 3 months after surgery

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.
Kai Wang

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.
October 1, 2026

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.
September 30, 2027

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.
September 30, 2027

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).
September 30, 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.
September 30, 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.
October 6, 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.
October 20, 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.
October 15, 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.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 2025-119(1)

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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