Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT03636451

Effect of Paracervical Block Volume on Pain Control for Dilation and Curettage.o

The investigators are conducting a study on pain control for dilation and curettage (D&C). Participants are eligible to enroll if they are a planning to have a D&C in a participating clinic. The investigators are studying how different ratios of medication to liquid affect pain when injected around the cervix. Both potential methods use the same dose of medication, though researchers would like to know which one works better. To be in this study, participants must be over the age of 18 with an early pregnancy loss or undesired pregnancy measuring less than 12 weeks gestation undergoing D&C while awake in clinic.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 3

Primary location

Villa La Jolla Clinic, La Jolla, California, United States

Loading trial locations.

About this study

Dilation and Curettage (D&C) is often performed in the first trimester for surgical abortion and management of miscarriage and can be painful for patients before and after the procedure. Most procedures are performed while the patient is awake or with minimal sedation in the clinic setting, and a key component of pain control is the paracervical block, or injecting lidocaine into the tissue around the cervix. A paracervical block with 20cc of 1% buffered lidocaine has been proven to provide superior pain control than a sham paracervical block. However, many providers often use similar doses of lidocaine in a higher volume to improve pain control. At University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), some providers routinely use a 20cc of 1% buffered lidocaine block and some routinely use a 40cc of 0.5% buffered lidocaine block. This practice has not been studied in a randomized controlled trial. The purpose of this study is to compare pain control during D&C with a 20cc 1% buffered lidocaine with vasopressin paracervical block compared to a 40cc 0.5% buffered lidocaine with vasopressin paracervical block.

An inclusion criterion for this study is that patients must specifically be referred to family planning clinics at UCSD and UCLA for an in-clinic D&C. Therefore, the D&C is a required procedure for both study groups. The only difference in care between the study groups will be which paracervical block they receive.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Women over the age of 18 presenting to UC San Diego and UC Los Angeles
  • Undesired pregnancy or missed abortion < 11 weeks 6 days gestation
  • Must speak English or Spanish
  • Desire surgical termination of pregnancy or management of miscarriage in clinic

Exclusion criteria

  • Women with a diagnosis of inevitable or incomplete abortion
  • Desire for general anesthesia or IV sedation
  • Chronic pain conditions
  • Any medical comorbidities that are a contraindication to performing the procedure in the clinic setting
  • Allergy to or refusal of ketorolac, oral Versed, or a paracervical block
  • If they have taken any pain medications the day of presentation to clinic
  • If they have taken Misoprostol the day of presentation to clinic

Treatment and study plan

40cc buffered 0.5% lidocaine with 2 units of vasopressin paracervical block

Drug

Women undergoing D&C in the first trimester for either surgical abortion or miscarriage management will receive 40cc buffered 0.5% lidocaine with 2 units of vasopressin paracervical block before cervical dilation.

Other names: 40cc

20cc 1% lidocaine with 2 units of vasopressin paracervical block

Drug

Women undergoing D&C in the first trimester for either surgical abortion or miscarriage management will be randomly assigned to receive 20cc 1% lidocaine with 2 units of vasopressin paracervical block before cervical dilation.

Other names: 20cc

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain With Cervical Dilation

    Time frame: Once during the procedure on the day of recruitment, approximately one minute. During procedure at time of cervical dilation.

    Distance (mm) from the left of the 100-mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (reflecting magnitude of pain) recorded at time of cervical dilation. Pain will be assessed using a 100 mm visual analogue scale with the anchors 0 = none, 100 mm = worst imaginable.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pain With Uterine Aspiration

    Time frame: Once during the procedure on the day of recruitment, approximately 1 minute. During procedure immediately after uterine aspiration.

    Distance (mm) from the left of the 100-mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (reflecting magnitude of pain) recorded immediately after uterine aspiration. Pain will be assessed using a 100 mm visual analogue scale with the anchors 0 = none, 100 mm = worst imaginable.

  2. Pain 10 Minutes Post Procedure

    Time frame: Once 10 minutes after the procedure on the day of recruitment, approximately one minute.

    Distance (mm) from the left of the 100-mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (reflecting magnitude of pain) recorded 10 minutes after the completion of the procedure. Pain will be assessed using a 100 mm visual analogue scale with the anchors 0 = none, 100 mm = worst imaginable.

  3. Overall Pain

    Time frame: Once 10 minutes after the procedure on the day of recruitment, approximately one minute.

    Distance (mm) from the left of the 100-mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (reflecting magnitude of pain) recorded after the procedure reflecting the overall pain felt during the procedure. Pain will be assessed using a 100 mm visual analogue scale with the anchors 0 = none, 100 mm = worst imaginable.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Diego

Other

Collaborators

  • Society of Family Planning
  • University of California, Los Angeles

Registry information

Official study title

Assessing the Effect of Paracervical Block Volume on Pain Control for Dilation and Curettage: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2022
First posted
Aug 17, 2018
Registry last updated
Apr 20, 2023

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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.