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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04004052

Conservative Treatment and Ultrasound Guided Injection for Treatment Meralgia Paresthetica

Meralgia paresthetica (MP) is an entrapment mononeuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN), where conservative treatment options are not always sufficient.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound (US) guided lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injection in the management of meralgia paresthetica by comparing with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy and sham transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy.

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Key information

Age range

42 year–64 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

In this prospective, randomized, sham-controlled study, fifty four patients (23 female and 31 male, the mean age 53.61±11.99 years) with lateral femoral cutaneous nerve compression with clinical and electrophysiological findings were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to three groups: 1) Ultrasound-guided injection group, 2) TENS group, 3) Sham TENS group. The blockage of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve was performed for therapeutic meralgia paresthetica management in group 1. Ten sessions of conventional TENS were administered to each patient 5 days a week for 2 weeks, for 20 minutes per daily session in Group 2, and sham TENS was applied to group 3 with the same protocol.

Visual Analog Scale (VAS), painDETECT questionnaire (PD-Q), Semmes Weinstein monofilament test (SWMt), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and health-related quality of life (SF 36), at onset (T1), 15 days after treatment (T2) and 1 month after treatment (T3) were used for evaluation.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients diagnosed with LFCN entrapment confirmed by clinical and electrophysiological findings

Exclusion criteria

  • Secondary entrapment neuropathy
  • Malignancy
  • Pregnancy
  • Infection in the inguinal region or dermatitis
  • Lumbar radiculopathy
  • Cardiac pacemakers
  • Polyneuropathy

Treatment and study plan

Ultrasound guided injection

Other

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

Other

Sham Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

Other

Primary outcomes

  1. Visual Analog Scale

    Time frame: 1 months

    The VAS was used to record each patient's current level of pain with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the worst pain that the patient had ever experienced. Using a ruler marked in centimeters, the examiner obtained the exact values along a 10-cm VAS line.

  2. painDETECT questionnaire

    Time frame: 1 months

    It consists of seven items evaluating pain qualities, one evaluating the course of pain, and one evaluating pain radiation. Additionally, the questionnaire contains three numerical rating scales (NRSs) of 0-10 for current, worst, and average pain severity. An overall score is generated that summarizes everything but the pain intensity NRS, which ranges between -1 and 38. An overall score of >18 indicates likely Neuropathic pain, 13-18 possible Neuropathic pain, and < 13 unlikely Neuropathic pain.

  3. Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test

    Time frame: 1 months

    Cutaneous pressure threshold was measured by touch test using a device with nylon Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments (SWMt) embedded in a plastic handle. A small pushing force is applied anterolateral femoral skin area for 1-1,5 seconds to push the filaments. A medical staff member presses the filaments at an angle of approximately 90° against the patient's thigh. This test is useful for medical staff because it is simple and easy. The threshold was defined as the lightest filament that the subject responses correctly at least two out of the three trials. The filaments are labeled with a numerical marking, which is a log to the base ten of the force in tenth of milligrams. Applications was made where the most symptoms has been observed in the patient's anterolateral thigh.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Short Form (SF-36) Health Questionnaire

    Time frame: 1 months

    Assessment of health-related quality of life Health status was measured using the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey, version 2 (SF-36v2), which assesses eight different aspects of health. Item scores can be aggregated into physical component (PC) summary and mental component (MC) summary score.

  2. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

    Time frame: 1 Months

    PSQI is a 19-item self-reported instrument designed to measure a person's sleep quality and sleep patterns over 1-month time interval. It consists of seven items evaluating sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction over the last month. The 7 component scores are evaluated between 0 and 3 points. 3 reflects the negative extreme on the Likert Scale. The global score ranges from 0 to 21 points. Higher scores indicate worst sleep quality. A global score of >5 indicates poor sleep quality.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Conservative Treatment Versus Ultrasound Guided Injection in Management of Meralgia Paresthetica: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2015
Study completion
2015
First posted
Jul 1, 2019
Registry last updated
Feb 20, 2020

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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