Major study maps rare nerve condition to improve care
NCT ID NCT07235579
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at 621 adults in the UK who had cauda equina syndrome, a rare but serious condition where nerves at the bottom of the spine are compressed. Researchers tracked how patients were diagnosed, treated, and how they recovered. The goal was to gather accurate information to help set better standards of care and guide future research.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could provide better guidelines for diagnosing and managing cauda equina syndrome, improving patient care and outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial, so it won't directly lead to new therapies. Results may vary across different hospitals and may not apply to 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.
- Participants
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621 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2018
- Finished
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Jan 2022
- 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
All neurosurgical and orthopaedic units managing patients with CES in the UK will be invited to participate. All patients admitted with radiologically confirmed CES will be identified by the lead local investigator via the screening of referral and admission systems at their spinal unit. All lead local investigators must be members of the clinical team caring for patients with CES in their unit. Capture-recapture methods will be used to ensure complete case ascertainment. In December 2018, June 2019, and December 2019 all local investigators will check their case ascertainment by asking their local coding departments for all discharges coded as CES using the diagnostic code ICD-10 G83.4.
- Ages
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18 to 120 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: * For inclusion in this study, the patient must: * be over 18 years old; * be admitted to a specialist spinal service in the UK between 1st June 2018 and 31st May 2019; * have capacity to provide informed consent for participation in this study; and * have a diagnosis of clinical CES and structural compression of the cauda equina on imaging as determined by the treating clinician. * Clinical CES includes any disturbance of saddle sensation, bladder function, bowel function, sexual dysfunction and bilateral sciatica associated with radiological compression of the cauda equina. The cauda equina compression can be due to any cause, including, but not limited to, disc, tumour, infection, etc. Exclusion Criteria: * • Patients under 18 years old * Patients undergoing emergent decompression for unilateral motor or sensory symptoms (eg foot drop), without clinical evidence of CES * Patients referred with suspected CES where the diagnosis is not confirmed, for example: o Patients with the clinical symptoms and signs of CES without radiological evidence of cauda equina compression * Patients not admitted to participating spinal centres in the UK * Patients admitted to a participating spinal centre before 1st June 2018 or after 31st May 2019 * Patients who are unable to provide informed consent for participation in this study
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Department of Neurosciences, Western General Hospital
Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, United Kingdom
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.