Cervical Plexus Hydrodissection With D5W Versus NS for Treatment-Resistant PTSD

May 16, 2026 updated by: Dr. Dean Reeves, Dr. Dean Reeves Clinic
PTSD is a chronic mental health condition that drastically reduces an individual's quality of life Dextrose injection with a small needle has been used for chronic pain patients and observational results have shown it to be effective in reducing anxiety, brain fog, and depression in patients with PTSD. This randomized trial will compare dextrose injection with an injection control of normal saline (NS)

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

PTSD is a well-recognized debilitating mental health condition associated with previous trauma exposure. It is part of the DSM-5 Trauma and Stressor related disorders category. Treatments for PTSD normally involve a multi-disciplinary approach. First-line treatments include psychotherapy and serotonergic reuptake inhibitors. Many patients fail pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Unilateral stellate ganglion block performed favorably for treatment of PTSD in a recent RCT, based upon an expectation that the cervical sympathetic system is neuropathically upregulated in PTSD. However, inclusion of lidocaine requires the presence of an emergency response team due to the potential for inadvertent intravascular injection with generalized seizures or hypotension, and inadvertent laryngeal or phrenic nerve block. Perineural injection of peripheral nerves, plexi, or sympathetic ganglia with dextrose 5% in water (D5W), has performed well empirically in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. No lidocaine is utilized, which allows for avoidance of lidocaine toxicity risk, or any risk of nerve block. Because of that, bilateral procedures are feasible, and these procedures can be performed in any outpatient office with ultrasound availability, as emergency team backup is not necessary, making the procedure readily accessible. A cumulative benefit has been observed, as well. The effects of BHDCP with D5W as a stand-alone treatment for PTSD is under evaluated in a randomized trial compared treatment with D5W versus delayed treatment with early results promising. This study is designed as the next step in study quality through use of an injection control. The primary outcome is the short term and long-term effect of BHDCP with D5W versus NS on the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Check List for Civilians (PCL-C), The primary hypotheses are tha cervical plexus hydrodissection with D5W will outperform NS for the primary measure, and that the PCL_C improvement will be equal to or greater than 15.3 (1.5 times the MCID of 10.2.). A study size of 100 participants is planned, based on power analysis.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

50

Phase

  • Phase 4

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 Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Kentucky
      • Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40509
        • Recruiting
        • Wellward Medical
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
    • Oregon
      • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97210
        • Recruiting
        • NW Regen
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
      • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97210
    • Wisconsin
      • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53709

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Inclusion Criteria:
  • Not involved in another study of PTSD treatment
  • Reliable transportation
  • Comfortable with computers
  • Tried 2 or more medications for treatment of PTSD symptoms
  • Tried 2 or more non-medication treatments for PTSD symptom
  • No known life-threatening illness
  • Not taking daily narcotics
  • Not having 3 or more alcoholic drinks on an average day
  • No active suicidal plans
  • No major surgery plans
  • No major life stress that might interfere with completing study
  • Symptoms for more than 1 year
  • Not planning to move for next 18 months.
  • Living within an hour of Portland, OR, Madison, WI, or Lexington, KY
  • Wiling to provide 2 email and 2 phone contact methods
  • Willing to answer questions on multiple occasions over the course of a year.
  • Willing to be assigned to 3 months of usual care treatment
  • No diagnosis of schizophrenia, Borderline Personality Disorder, or Bipolar Disorder.
  • No severe needle phobia
  • Chronic pain ≤ 5/10
  • PCL-C score ≥ 50

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 Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: D5W cervical plexus hydrodissection
10 ml D5W cervical plexus hydrodissection bilaterally at 0, 2, 4, and 8 weeks, and then by request from 13-52 weeks
Drug: Dextrose 5% in water bilateral injection
Injection under the investing fascia of the sternocleidomastoid muscle
Active Comparator: Normal saline cervical plexus hydrodissection
10 mL normal saline cervical plexus hydrodissection bilaterally at 0, 2, 4, and 8 weeks, and then D5W by request from 13-52 weeks
Drug: Normal saline bilateral injection
Injection under the investing fascia of the sternocleidomastoid muscle

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post traumatic checklist for civilians
Time Frame: 3 months
Minimum 17 Maximum 85 Higher scores mean worse outcome
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hospital anxiety and depression scale
Time Frame: 3 months
Minimum 0 Maximum 42 Higher scores mean worse outcome
3 months
EuroQol Visual Analog Scale (0-100 overall quality of life)
Time Frame: 3 months
Minimum 0 Maximum 100 Higher scores mean better outcome
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Dr. Dean Reeves Clinic

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kenneth D Reeves, M.D., Dr. Dean Reeves Clinic

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)

May 16, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 19, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 16, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BCPHD-D5WvsNSforPTSD

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified data are available from the first author upon request in writing and with a detailed use plan.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

10 years

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Request in writing

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

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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