Can ultrasound replace CT scans after skull surgery?

NCT ID NCT06097845

Diagnosis Sponsor: Northwell Health Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study looks at whether ultrasound can be used through a clear skull implant to see brain structures and detect problems after surgery. Fifty adults who have had this type of skull reconstruction will get standard CT or MRI scans plus an ultrasound. The goal is to see if ultrasound is accurate enough to possibly replace more expensive or radiation-heavy imaging in the future.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Transcranial ultrasound (diagnostic test using FDA-approved ultrasound devices)
What this could lead to: If successful, ultrasound could become a simpler, radiation-free way to check the brain after skull surgery, reducing the need for CT or MRI scans.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early observational study with only 50 people. Ultrasound may not be as clear or reliable as standard imaging for all patients.

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

About 50 people

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

Started

Jun 2023

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

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.

Ages

18 years and older

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: 1. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form. 2. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study. 3. Patients who are undergoing reconstructive sonolucent cranioplasty as standard of care. 4. Male or female, aged ≥ 18. Exclusion Criteria: 1\. Patients who are pregnant

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As listed by the trial registrant

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

Cranioplasty Reconstructive cranioplasty Sonolucent cranioplasty

How to take part

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

The places running it

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

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Can ultrasound replace CT scans after skull surgery?

What the study statuses mean