Radiation-Free brain imaging for kids? ultrasound may offer a safer path
NCT ID NCT07772323
First seen Aug 19, 2026 · Last updated Aug 20, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a portable, radiation-free ultrasound performed at the bedside can accurately detect brain injuries in children, compared to the standard head CT scan. Researchers will enroll 220 children aged 2-17 who are already scheduled for a head CT due to suspected acute brain injury. The ultrasound is performed within 6 hours of the CT and its results are compared to the CT report to see if it can reliably identify problems like bleeding, swelling, or fluid buildup.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Bedside cranial point-of-care ultrasound (cPOCUS)
- What this could lead to
- If accurate, this could offer a radiation-free, portable way to quickly decide which children need a CT scan and to monitor brain injuries safely at the bedside.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial, and the ultrasound is not yet proven to match CT accuracy. It may not work for all children or all types of brain injury.
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
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About 220 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Nov 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
Children undergoing a clinically indicated head CT for suspected acute brain injury in the pediatric Emergency Department and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Combined ED + PICU sampling enriches the cohort for CT-positive cases and provides the CT-positive subset with serial paired imaging.
- Ages
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2 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Children 2 to 17 years of age * Undergoing a clinically indicated (standard-of-care) head CT for suspected acute brain injury (including trauma, headache with neurologic findings, altered mental status, focal deficit, seizure, post-cardiac-arrest, oncologic neurologic emergency, or intracranial infection) * Seen in the pediatric Emergency Department or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR-VCU) * Consent obtainable from a legally authorized representative (LAR) * Cranial ultrasound feasible within the protocol time window (within 6 hours of head CT) Exclusion Criteria: * Open skull fracture * Prior hemicraniectomy * Cranial surgical defect at the insonation site * Anticipated transition to comfort-only care * Any clinical condition in which cranial ultrasound would delay a time-critical intervention
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
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