Longitudinal Morphometric Changes Following SCI

Completed

• Conditions: Spinal Cord Injury

• Registration Number: NCT02149511
• Lead Sponsor: University of Zurich

Brief Summary

In patients with chronic spinal cord injury, imaging of the spinal cord and brain above the level of the lesion provides evidence of neural degeneration; however, the spatial and temporal patterns of progression and their relation to clinical outcomes are uncertain. New interventions targeting acute spinal cord injury have entered clinical trials but neuroimaging outcomes as responsive markers of treatment have yet to be established. We aim to use MRI to assess neuronal degeneration above and below the level of the lesion after acute spinal cord injury. In our prospective longitudinal study, we enroll patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury and healthy controls. We assess patients clinically and by MRI at baseline, 2 months, 6 months, 12 months, and if possible 24 months and 60 months follow-up, and controls by MRI at the same timepoints. We assess cervical atrophy in white and gray matter and use cross-sectional spinal cord area measurements to assess atrophy at cervical level (C2/C3) and in the lumbar enlargement. We use myelinsensitive magnetisation transfer (MT) and longitudinal relaxation rate (R1) maps in the brain to assess microstructural changes associated with myelin. We also use diffusion tensor imaging acquired in the spinal cord at C2/C3 and in the lumbar enlargement to identify axonal loss and demyelination in the spinal white matter. Finally, we assess associations between MRI parameters and clinical improvement.

Detailed Description

Not available

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2010-09
• Study First Submitted: 2014-05-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-05-26
• Study First Posted: 2014-05-29
• Primary Completion: 2019-09
• Study Completion: 2019-09
• Status Verified: 2020-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-09-15
• Last Update Posted: 2020-09-17

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 94

Inclusion Criteria

SCI patients:

• acute injury to the spinal cord
• no medical or mental illness
• written informed consent
• over the age of 18 years

Control subjects:

• over the age of 18 years
• written informed consent

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Exclusion Criteria

SCI patients:

• head or brain lesion associated with the trauma leading to the injury
• epileptic seizures
• MRI contraindications
• pregnant women or lactating women

Control subjects:

• pregnant women or lactating women
• MRI contraindications
• neurological or psychiatric illness

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Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Cord and brain volume (mm^3) changes	Patients will be recruited within the first months of injury and scanned 6 times during the first 5 years post injury. Healthy controls will follow the same time line.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Zurich; 🇨🇭 Zurich, Switzerland