A Double-Blind, Randomized Control Trial Comparing Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox) and Placebo in the Treatment of Idiopathic Clubfoot

May 14, 2018 updated by: Christine Alvarez, University of British Columbia

The purpose of this study is to continue the work from the previous review study and determine the effectiveness of Botox in treating patients with idiopathic clubfoot by comparing outcomes of subjects treated with manipulation and casting plus Botox (treatment group) to those treated with manipulation and casting plus placebo (control group).

The null hypothesis is that manipulation and casting plus Botox is not an effective treatment for idiopathic clubfoot. The alternate hypothesis is that manipulation and casting plus Botox is an effective treatment for idiopathic clubfoot.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The study timeline is divided into five phases which have been defined based on experiences with the previous review and with clubfoot treatment in general. These phases are as follows: 1) study treatment (Botox injection versus placebo); 2) post-treatment manipulation and casting; 3) bracing and full-time maintenance; 4) intent-to-treat intervention for management of first-time non-responders (NR1) and first-time recurrences (Rec1) post-study treatment; and 5) rescue intervention for management of second-time non-responders (NR2) and second-time recurrences (Rec2) post intent-to-treat intervention.

We will utilize a double-blind randomized control trial to assess the efficacy of Botox in the treatment of idiopathic clubfoot. Patients, parents, both participating surgeons, and members of their clinical and research teams (physiotherapist, occupational therapist, orthopaedic technologist, orthotist, research assistant) will be blinded to the study group (Botox group versus control group) each subject belongs in. The pharmacist preparing the syringes for injection will not be blinded.

Subjects will be randomly assigned to receive either Botox (Treatment group) or placebo injection (Control group). Subjects in the treatment group will receive Botox injections dosed at 10 IU/kg prepared by diluting 100 IU of Botox in 1cc of unpreserved saline. If the child has bilateral clubfoot, the contents will be divided equally for injection into each gastrocnemius. Placebo injections for the control group will contain unpreserved saline at 0.1cc/kg (such that a 4.5 kg subject will receive 0.45cc).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

36

Phase

  • 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

    • British Columbia
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6H 3V4
        • BC Children's Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics

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

Ages Eligible for Study

1 day to 2 months (CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. children presenting with idiopathic clubfoot at BC Children's Hospital and Hospital for Sick Children
  2. children ranging in age from 1 day to 2 months old
  3. children who have reached hindfoot stall
  4. children with complete pre-study data *From protocol, hindfoot stall is defined: "following initial manipulation and casting of clubfoot, when the forefoot can be abducted beyond 60 degrees but hindfoot equinus persists, requiring need for further intervention to correct the clubfoot deformity"

Exclusion Criteria:

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
  • Masking: DOUBLE

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Primary Outcome: Response to study treatment (as indicated by ankle dorsiflexion with knee in flexion of 15 degrees or greater)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Patient outcomes collected at every patient visit including:
1. Ankle dorsiflexion with knee in extension
2. Plantarflexion
3. Heel bisector scores
4. Occurrence of recurrence

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Christine Alvarez, MD, FRCSC, MSc, University of British Columbia

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

September 1, 2005

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

September 30, 2015

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

September 30, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 7, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 7, 2005

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

September 9, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

May 17, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 14, 2018

Last Verified

May 1, 2018

More Information

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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