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Can ultrasound dye reveal spinal cord damage Mid-Surgery?

NCT ID NCT05530798

Diagnosis Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Sep 04, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026

Summary

This trial tests whether contrast-enhanced ultrasound can detect spinal cord injury during decompression surgery for chronic spinal cord compression. Researchers inject an ultrasound contrast agent before, during, and after the procedure to visualize blood flow changes in the spinal cord. They will compare these images with standard nerve monitoring and post-surgery neurological exams to see if the ultrasound can predict or explain new nerve deficits.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound using Definity (perflutren lipid microsphere) to visualize spinal cord blood flow during surgery
What this could lead to
If it works, this imaging method could help surgeons detect spinal cord injury in real time during decompression surgery, potentially reducing post-operative nerve damage.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study with only 20 participants. The technique may not reliably predict injury, and ultrasound contrast carries a small risk of allergic reactions.

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.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

20 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Dec 2023

Finished

Aug 2025

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.

Ages

18 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

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: * Patients consented and scheduled for posterior cervicothoracic decompression surgery with the PI for the diagnosis of cervicothoracic myeloradiculopathy * Age 18-80 Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy * Patient's with known hypersensitivity to ultrasound contrast * Patients with known hypersensitivity to perflutren lipid microsphere or its components, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) * Patients unable to actively participate in the consent process physically and/or cognitively * Prior decompression at the intended level of decompression

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Spinal Cord Compression spinal cord disorder spinal cord injury spinal injury spinal stenosis vertebral column disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Spinal cord compression Spinal cord diseases Spinal cord injuries Spinal injury Spinal stenosis Spine degeneration Spine disease

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Medical University of South Carolina

    Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States

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