Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Focal Hand Dystonia (NCT02911103) | Clinical Trial Compass
Active — Not RecruitingPhase 1/2
Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Focal Hand Dystonia
United States5 participantsStarted 2018-01-17
Plain-language summary
Researchers want to test a procedure called deep brain simulation (DBS) to treat focal hand dystonia (FHD). A device called a neurostimulator is placed in the chest. It is attached to wires placed in brain areas that affect movement. Stimulating these areas can help block nerve signals that cause abnormal movements.
Objectives:
To test DBS as treatment for FHD. To learn about brain and nerve cell function in people with dystonia.
Eligibility:
People ages 18 and older with severe FHD who have tried botulinum toxin treatment at least twice
Design:
Participation lasts 5 years.
Participants will be screened with:
Medical history
Physical exam
Videotape of their dystonia
Blood, urine, and heart tests
Brain MRI scan
Chest X-ray
Neuropsychological tests: answering questions, doing simple actions, and taking memory and thinking tests.
Hand movement tests
Participants will have surgery: A frame fixes their head to the operating table. A small hole is made in the skull. Wires are inserted to record brain activity and stimulate the brain while they do simple tasks. The wires are removed and the DBS electrode is inserted into the hole. The neurostimulator is placed under the skin of the chest, with wires running to the electrode in the brain. They will have CT and MRI scans during surgery.
Participants will recover in the hospital for about 1 week.
The neurostimulator will be turned on 1 4 weeks after discharge. Participants will have regular visits until the study ends. Visits include:
Checking symptoms and side effects
MRI
Movement, thinking, and memory tests
If the neurostimulator s battery runs out, participants will have surgery to replace it.
Who can participate
Age range
22 Years – 100 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
* INCLUSION CRITERIA:
* FHD diagnosed by a neurologist
* BFM upper extremity subscore of 3 or more (score range 0 to 4) or ADDS difficulty of performing score equal to or more than 3.
* Patients must score 3 or below on the Tubiana and Chamagne scale or inability to perform at the concert level or patients must score a rating of "severe" on at least one item, impacting the patient s employment or essential activities on the Writer s Cramp Impairment scale.
* Symptoms causing significant impairment in quality of life and work or daily activities by patient self-assessment and SF12 scale, as reported by subjects. The subjects should be severely impaired in at least one of the following domains: handwriting, typing or playing an instrument. The impairment needs to have affected employment, manifested by substantive change in, or loss of, employment or career of choice.
* All patients must have failed or achieved inadequate benefit (continuing functional impairment) with at least two trials of botulinum toxin treatments.
* Women of childbearing age will have to agree to use contraception methods for the first 3 post operative months.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
* Subjects younger than 22 years old.
* MRI findings that would make participation and surgery unsafe (such as tumor or other space occupying lesion, stroke, hemorrhage or hematoma, edema, hydrocephalus, abscess) and MRI findings that would confound study outcomes (such as iron deposits in the basal ganglia, demyelinating diseas…
Questions worth asking your doctor
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
To confirm the safety of VOA/VOP thalamic DBS in FHD
Timeframe: 5 years
Trial details
NCT IDNCT02911103
SponsorNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)