Regional Non-comparative Prospective Study of the Impact of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery on Tremor in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis, chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, affects approximately 100,000 peoples in France. It is the leading cause of disability in young adults. Tremor is a common symptom (25-58% of patients depending on the series) and can be particularly disabling. The drug treatments against tremor are ineffective or insufficient. Deep brain stimulation of the Vim (Small nucleus within thalamus) and stereotactic radiofrequency thalamotomy have shown their efficacy in this indication. However, in some cases these invasive procedures are impossible because of operational risk. Gamma knife thalamotomy can be an alternative choice. This procedure, less invasive, mainly because of the absence of craniotomy is used by several teams of international reputation for over fifteen years, with good to excellent results in essential tremor. The team of Marseille, which has an experience of 22 years in Gamma Knife radiosurgery has treated 250 patients with severe tremor (essential tremor or Parkinson's disease) by a unilateral thalamotomy with an improvement of 70% of functional scores.

In the literature, no formal studies of the effect of Gamma Knife in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) tremor is reported. There are only a few cases without specific evaluation of the efficacy in this disease. Hence the importance of studying in detail the effects of this technique, which allows a precise and limited lesion volume. Using an isocenter of 4mm and a dose of 130 Gy radiation lesion obtained is limited to a volume of 200 to 500 mm3.

The aim of this study is to assess through a minimally invasive technique with a circumscribed and reproducible lesion volume, the effect of thalamotomy on the particular tremor in multiple sclerosis with a prospective evaluation of its effects.

Patients with MS with a disabling tremor will be included in the study. They will be assessed with neurological examination, quality of life scales, neuropsychological assessment, functional scores and cerebral MRI.

This study will demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of Gamma Knife thalamotomy in MS patients with severe tremor.

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Key information

Conditions

Multiple Sclerosis Autoimmune Diseases Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS Demyelinating Diseases Immune System Diseases Nervous System Diseases

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille

Marseille, 13354, France

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Male or female aged 18 to 70 years old.
Patient with a diagnosis of MS certainty according to the criteria of Mac Donald (2010)
Patient with progressive form of MS: remitting, secondarily progressive, primary progressive
Patient with an Expanded Disability Status Scale score (EDSS) between 3 and 8.
Patient with clinical stability for more than 6 months (EDSS stable over 1 year)
Lack of progressive onset (and corticosteroid therapy) for at least 3 months
Patient with normal palliation or mild impairment
Patient having a muscle test at 4 or 5 on the upper limb to be treated
Patient requiring Gamma-Knife radiosurgery due to severity of tremor and functional impairment
Patient who understood and signed the informed consent form

Exclusion criteria

Stewart Holmes positive maneuver (upper limb to be treated)
Patient with a muscle test less than 4 on the hand to be treated
Patient with moderate palliation or severe disease
Patient with a contraindication to perform a cerebral MRI (pacemaker, intracerebral metallic object etc.)
Patient with an indication for radiosurgical treatment
Pregnant or lactating women.
Participation in another therapeutic trial or exclusion period from a previous clinical trial.

Treatment and study plan

Thalamotomy by gamma Knife radiosurgery

Device

The surgical procedure consists of a very partial radiation of the brain with stereotaxic precision

Primary outcomes

Scale evaluation Tremor and Coordination Scale (TACS)

Time frame: 12 months

Describe the effectiveness of the Gamma Knife radiosurgical treatment. Assess the impact of tremor and impaired coordination on daily activities. The TACS was developed as a single question, scored ordinally from 0 to 5, as follows: 0 (normal), 1 (minimal), 2 (mild), 3 (moderate), 4 (severe), or 5 (total disability). This scoring system makes it similar to the Performance Scales
Scale evaluation Tremor and Coordination Scale (TACS)

Time frame: 24 months

Describe the effectiveness of the Gamma Knife radiosurgical treatment. Assess the impact of tremor and impaired coordination on daily activities. The TACS was developed as a single question, scored ordinally from 0 to 5, as follows: 0 (normal), 1 (minimal), 2 (mild), 3 (moderate), 4 (severe), or 5 (total disability). This scoring system makes it similar to the Performance Scales

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille

Other

Registry information

Acronym: GK-SEP

Important dates

Study start: 2017
Primary completion: 2021
Study completion: 2023
First posted: Nov 13, 2017
Registry last updated: Apr 6, 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.

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