Needle-Free hope: ultrasound may spot dangerous liver pressure
NCT ID NCT07365709
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and spleen stiffness measurement can accurately detect high blood pressure in the liver (portal hypertension) in people with cirrhosis. Currently, doctors must insert a catheter into a neck vein to measure this pressure, which is uncomfortable and risky. If the non-invasive methods work well, they could replace the invasive test. The study will enroll 107 adults with cirrhosis and compare the ultrasound results to the standard invasive measurement.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- SonoVue (sulphur hexafluoride microbubbles)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a safe, non-invasive alternative to the current invasive test for diagnosing portal hypertension in cirrhosis patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage diagnostic study with only 107 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The new methods may not be accurate enough to replace the gold standard test.
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
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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
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About 107 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Feb 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- 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: Individuals of both sexes aged 18 years or over; Subjects diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. Subjects who have undergone hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement to assess portal hypertension, and/or show indirect clinical signs of significant portal hypertension, such as oesophageal varices or porto-systemic collateral circulation. Cirrhotic subjects who must undergo contrast-enhanced ultrasound as part of regular hepatological follow-up. Subjects who have given their informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: Subjects aged under 18 years; Subjects with cholestatic disease Subjects diagnosed with clinically significant portal hypertension of non-cirrhotic aetiology. Subjects diagnosed with ascites Subjects diagnosed with splanchnic thrombosis Subjects presenting with spleno-portal flow reversal Subjects who are allergic to ultrasound contrast media Subjects who have not given their informed consent.
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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 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.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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