Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Can a simple ultrasound replace CT scans for Kids' head injuries?

NCT ID NCT06697808

Diagnosis Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates whether a bedside ultrasound of the head, called cranial point-of-care ultrasound (cPOCUS), can accurately detect brain injuries in children who would normally receive a CT scan or MRI. The goal is to see if this safe, fast, and radiation-free tool could help doctors decide which children truly need a CT scan. The trial will compare the ultrasound findings with the results from standard imaging to measure its diagnostic accuracy.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Cranial point-of-care ultrasound (cPOCUS)
What this could lead to
If proven accurate, this could offer a safe, radiation-free way to quickly screen children with head injuries for brain damage, reducing the need for CT scans.
What could go wrong
The trial is relatively small and early. Ultrasound may not be as sensitive as CT for detecting subtle brain injuries, and its accuracy depends on the operator's skill.

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 169 people

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

Started

Nov 2024

Expected to finish

Apr 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

Pediatric patients in the Emergency Department or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit due blunt head trauma.

Ages

Up to 18 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 requiring a head computed tomography (CT) or brain MRI as the standard of care * Seen in the pediatric Emergency Department or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Atrium Health Wake Forest Brenner Children's Hospital or Levine Children's Hospital Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with open skull fractures * Previous hemicraniectomy * Existing surgical defect in the skull * Patients being transitioned to comfort care

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Traumatic brain injury are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Brain Injuries, Traumatic Craniocerebral Trauma traumatic brain injury

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Traumatic brain injury

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

  • Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Charlotte, North Carolina, 28203, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.