Multimodal Ultrasound Imaging Assessment on Keloid

September 12, 2023 updated by: Wang Zhigang, Chongqing Medical University

A Prospective, Longitudinal, Intraindividual Clinical Study in Keloid With Multimodal Ultrasound Assessment

Skin keloids are common dermatological conditions that can lead to physical limitations, functional impairments, and deformities. Beyond the physiological implications, the aesthetic ramifications of keloids can also result in significant psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, causing both physical and emotional suffering to the affected individuals. The incidence of keloids is high, characterized by their chronicity, resistance to treatment, and high recurrence rate. They have become one of the most challenging conditions to treat across burn surgery, plastic surgery, and dermatology disciplines. The lack of standardized clinical treatment guidelines globally, combined with an absence of a well-defined standardized evaluation system, means that the effectiveness of various treatments is not consistently and objectively assessed, creating significant challenges in clinical applications. This project integrates traditional high-frequency ultrasound with cutting-edge technologies like real-time shear wave elastography and ultra-micro blood flow imaging. By using multimodal ultrasound, investigators aim to observe the therapeutic response of 90Sr-90Y patch treatment on skin keloids. Investigators seek to determine the objectivity and quantification role of multimodal ultrasound data and indicators in assessing keloid severity, including blood flow information and elasticity hardness. Another goal is to obtain quantitative data on keloid thickness, volume, stiffness, and microvascular distribution before and after treatment to monitor the therapy response. This would address the current limitations of subjective keloid scoring scales. It would also serve as an objective assessment standard for precise diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of keloids in a clinical setting, thereby standardizing the clinical diagnosis and treatment of keloids.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Currently, no one-size-fits-all approach exists and a universally accepted, standardized evaluation and treatment protocol remains elusive, making it challenging to determine which method is the most effective. Commonly used methods for assessing keloids, such as the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), rely heavily on subjective evaluations based on observer perception and patient-reported experiences. These methods lack objective quantitative evaluation indicators and the ability to visualize subcutaneous tissues, limiting their individual clinical applicability. The Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) is the most established questionnaire used for the evaluation of pathological scarring. This scale evaluates aspects of scar vascularity, pigmentation, pliability, and height, with the scoring system ranging from 0 to 15, where 0 is the least severe and 15 is the most severe. In the study, keloids were classified into three categories based on the VSS score: mild (0-5), moderate (6-9), and severe (10-15).

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

34

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

  • China
    • Chongqing
      • Chongqing, Chongqing, China, 400010
        • The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

34 outpatients (mean age 43 ± 10.4 years, 14 male, 20 female) with untreated 63 keloids in different anatomical locations and 63 corresponding normal skin sites was performed

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male and female patients aged 16 years and above
  • Outpatients with no received any treatment in previous 6 months
  • Willing to participate in this trial and have signed an informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • patients with malignant tumors, hypertension, diabetes, skin rupture, skin infection which may influence keloid healing and other dermatologic diseases

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
Intervention / Treatment
good response group of treated keloids

The Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) is the most established questionnaire used for the evaluation of pathological scarring. This scale evaluates aspects of scar vascularity, pigmentation, pliability, and height, with the scoring system ranging from 0 to 15, where 0 is the least severe and 15 is the most severe.All the keloids in the study were classified into three categories based on the VSS score: mild (0-5), moderate (6-9), and severe (10-15).

For treatment assessment, investigators further divided the treated participants into two groups: a good response group (showing an improvement of 5 or more points in the VSS score) and a poor response group (less than 5 points improvement in the VSS score)
Diagnostic test: multimodal ultrasound
An Aixplorer ultrasound machine (SuperSonic Imaging, Ltd, Aixen-Provence, France), equipped with AngioPLUS(AP) and shear wave elastography(SWE) functions, was used for all examinations using a 4-15MHz linear probe.AP function can detect microvessels of lesions,SWE can evaluate the stiffness of lesions and high frequency ultrasound can measure the thickness and volume of keloid.
Radiation: radioisotope applicator therapy
The radioisotope applicator therapy utilized 90Sr-90Y(0094SR814975) isotope, customized by the China Atomic Energy Research Institute. The element therapy instrument used had overall dimensions of 2.8cm x 2.8cm, with an effective treatment area of 2.0cm x 2.0cm. It delivered a radiation dose of 5.0Gy/h. Each patient received superficial radiation therapy through a single 90Sr source, administered in repeated doses. The isotope therapy instrument was customized to fit the exact size of the keloid, ensuring coverage the irradiation range extending 0.5cm beyond the keloid's edge. During treatment, the surface of the applicator was aligned with the irradiated area and directly contact the surface of the keloid tissue. The treatment was carried out low-dose irradiation method, over 5 sessions, with each session delivering a dose of 2Gy. Each irradiation lasted for 25min.
poor response group of treated keloids

The Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) is the most established questionnaire used for the evaluation of pathological scarring. This scale evaluates aspects of scar vascularity, pigmentation, pliability, and height, with the scoring system ranging from 0 to 15, where 0 is the least severe and 15 is the most severe. All the keloids in the study keloids were classified into three categories based on the VSS score: mild (0-5), moderate (6-9), and severe(10-15).

For treatment assessment, investigators further divided the treated participants into two groups: a good response group (showing an improvement of 5 or more points in the VSS score) and a poor response group (less than 5 points improvement in the VSS score)
Diagnostic test: multimodal ultrasound
An Aixplorer ultrasound machine (SuperSonic Imaging, Ltd, Aixen-Provence, France), equipped with AngioPLUS(AP) and shear wave elastography(SWE) functions, was used for all examinations using a 4-15MHz linear probe.AP function can detect microvessels of lesions,SWE can evaluate the stiffness of lesions and high frequency ultrasound can measure the thickness and volume of keloid.
Radiation: radioisotope applicator therapy
The radioisotope applicator therapy utilized 90Sr-90Y(0094SR814975) isotope, customized by the China Atomic Energy Research Institute. The element therapy instrument used had overall dimensions of 2.8cm x 2.8cm, with an effective treatment area of 2.0cm x 2.0cm. It delivered a radiation dose of 5.0Gy/h. Each patient received superficial radiation therapy through a single 90Sr source, administered in repeated doses. The isotope therapy instrument was customized to fit the exact size of the keloid, ensuring coverage the irradiation range extending 0.5cm beyond the keloid's edge. During treatment, the surface of the applicator was aligned with the irradiated area and directly contact the surface of the keloid tissue. The treatment was carried out low-dose irradiation method, over 5 sessions, with each session delivering a dose of 2Gy. Each irradiation lasted for 25min.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in stiffness measured by SWE
Time Frame: from baseline to 6 months
The difference of stiffness in good response group and poor response group
from baseline to 6 months
Change in microvessel signal grade measured by AP
Time Frame: from baseline to 6 months
The difference of microvessel signal grade in good response group and poor response group
from baseline to 6 months
Change in thickness measured by high frequency ultrasound
Time Frame: from baseline to 6 months
The difference of thickness in good response group and poor response group
from baseline to 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Chongqing Medical University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Wang Zhigang, Chongqing Medical University

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)

July 21, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 30, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

August 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 5, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 12, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

September 13, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 13, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 12, 2023

Last Verified

September 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CQMUSAZL0619

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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