Effects of Thymectomy During Cardiothoracic Surgery

August 23, 2016 updated by: Nancy Halnon, MD, MS, University of California, Los Angeles

The thymus is known to be the site of T cell development in humans. Due to its location in the chest in front of the heart, incidental thymecomy is commonly performed during cardiothoracic surgery, especially in infants and children, so that surgeons may gain access to the surgical field. This practice has been considered safe because it was thought that the thymus is inactive after birth. However, recent data using newly developed techniques has demonstrated that the thymus normally is active well into adulthood. In addition, in a previous study (UCLA IRB # 02-03-008-02) we have demonstrated alterations in lymphocyte (T cells) number in individuals who have undergone thymectomy in childhood but we do not know how immunity is affected. We plan to investigate if immune development or immune function later in life is affected by the loss of T cell production caused by thymectomy during cardiothoracic surgical procedures in childhood. At UCLA, a large number of patients are seen who have congenital heart disease and undergo surgical procedures for correction or repair and many children and adults are followed for many years after they have undergone surgical procedures. Subjects for study will be recruited from among these patients.

We propose a study which will examine the number and activity of lymphocytes obtained from blood samples from child and young adult subjects who have undergone surgery in early childhood. We will determine if these subjects have had complete thymectomy in the past using CT or MRI (obtained during routine care) or, for subjects who are having cardiothoracic surgery, by visualization of thymic tissue during the procedure. In addition we will give vaccination for a common viral illness (hepatitis A) and measure immune responses to it (from a blood sample). As part of this study, we will ask for medical information consisting of a history of congenital cardiac disease and other diagnoses (such as asthma), a history of infections and hospitalizations, and information about immunizations. We will also ask about a list of specific symptoms which will give us information about the function of the immune system.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

124

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

  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
        • UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic

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

No older than 35 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

child and young adult subjects who have undergone surgery in early childhood for correction or repair related to congenital heart disease enrolled for the observational portion of this protocol only

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age: birth to 35 years.
  • Planning cardiac surgical procedure at UCLA Medical Center.
  • For subjects with a history of prior cardiothoracic surgery: undergoing CT or MRI evaluation prior to reoperation.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unable to travel to UCLA Medical Center for follow up blood tests (infants and young children in longitudinal study)
  • Known thymus/immune deficiency disorder (i.e. DiGeorge Syndrome)

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

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
immune dysfunction
Time Frame: late
late

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Nancy J. Halnon, M.D., Pediatric Cardiology, UCLA

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

March 1, 2006

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 5, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 5, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

December 7, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 24, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 23, 2016

Last Verified

August 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2005-12-003Halnon

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

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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