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Ultra-High-Resolution MRI could sharpen spine surgery planning

NCT ID NCT04441554

Diagnosis Sponsor: Reto Sutter, MD Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 15, 2026 · Last updated Jul 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates whether a 7 Tesla MRI scanner can produce clearer images of the spine than standard 3 Tesla MRI. The goal is to better distinguish bone spurs from disc material and show compressed nerves in the spinal canal. Participants include people with chronic back pain and healthy volunteers. If successful, this approach could give surgeons a detailed roadmap before surgery and potentially reduce the need for CT scans.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
7 Tesla MRI
What this could lead to
If successful, this imaging method could replace CT scans for some spine surgeries, giving surgeons a clearer picture of nerve compression and bone anatomy.
What could go wrong
This is an early diagnostic study, not a treatment trial. The improved images may not always change surgical decisions or outcomes.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 600 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2020

Expected to finish

Sep 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Patients who have undergone a MRI of the spine for clinical indications will be enrolled through consecutive ongoing recruitment in daily clinical practice at Balgrist University Hospital Zurich.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion criteria: * Informed consent as documented by signature (Appendix Informed Consent Form) * \>18 years old * Patients presenting chronic back pain (\> 2 months) without recent trauma, previous MRI (1,5 or 3T) for clinicals indications or asymptomatic individuals (for depicting normal microanatomy) Exclusion criteria: * previous surgery * tumor patients * pregnancy or breast feeding * any MRI contra-indications

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cervical spine disease Magnetic resonance imaging

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Balgrist University Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Zurich, Canton of Zurich, 8008, Switzerland

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