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4DCT Imaging for Improved Diagnosis and Treatment of Wrist Ligament Injuries

4DCT Imaging for Improved Diagnosis and Treatment of Wrist Ligament Injuries

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03193996
Acronym
4DCT
Enrollment
29
Registered
2017-06-21
Start date
2017-10-23
Completion date
2023-01-23
Last updated
2024-06-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Scapholunate Interosseous Ligament Injury

Brief summary

The study seeks to determine whether the 4DCT imaging technique can be used to replace current invasive diagnostic tests for ligament injuries of the wrist.

Detailed description

Aim 1: 40 cadaveric forearm/hand specimens will be obtained from the Mayo Clinic Anatomical Bequest program. 10 will be used to refine the ligament injury model and 30 will be used as follows. The specimens will undergo radiographic screening and will be excluded from the study if they have evidence of fracture, bony trauma, significant arthritic changes, or previous surgeries. The tendons will be loaded. The remaining soft tissues will be dissected from the proximal ulna and radius. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) resin will be used to affix the proximal radius and ulna in a circular acrylic fixture. The custom wrist motion simulator was designed to generate muscle-assisted flexion-extension and radial-ulnar deviation movements and is CT-compatible. Each tendon will be dynamically loaded with a constant 10 N, maintained throughout the movement in the following conditions: wrist flexion-extension and radial-ulnar deviation. The hand will be fixed in a grip that is connected to a programmable linear actuator. The linear actuator drives the grip back-and-forth along the x-axis with free-motion along the z-axis. The linear actuator will be programmed to allow the wrist to perform a full radial-ulnar or flexion-extension motion at 30 deg/sec which simulates in vivo wrist motion speeds. A motion cycle is approximately 2 seconds. The wrist will be cycled 100 times in flexion-extension prior to each testing condition. A static CT image will be acquired in the neutral posture. Then, each wrist will be imaged using 4DCT during flexion-extension and radial-ulnar deviation, in the following conditions: intact (control), volar SLIL cut, membranous SLIL cut, dorsal SLIL cut, radioscaphocapitate ligament cut, and long radiolunate ligament cut. Aim 2: 4DCT scanning will be performed bilaterally on 60 patients (30 males, 30 females) with unilateral SLIL injury who are scheduled to undergo a surgical intervention. In addition, patients will have pre-surgical volar and dorsal arthroscopic confirmation of ligament injury, categorized by Geissler and European Wrist Arthroscopy Society (EWAS) classifications; video recording of the arthroscopy will be obtained for later analysis. PRWE and VAS questionnaires will be completed at the 4DCT visit for the injured wrist and the Total Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) score (sum of pain and function subscales) and composite change in Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS) score used in the analysis. 4DCT wrist data will be obtained while the subjects perform flexion-extension and radial-ulnar deviation. The dynamic image sequence will be processed with existing software tools to obtain metrics describing the interosseous distances between the articular surfaces of the scaphoid, lunate, and radius, during the movement cycles. Given the difficulty of diagnosing SLIL injury, the uninjured contralateral wrist is often used as a control for comparison by physicians; therefore, the difference in right/left metrics will be used in the study. Aim 3: The same 60 patients ( see Aim 2) will be evaluated. Surgeons will assess pre-surgical scapholunate interosseus distances (quantified using 4DCT in Aim 2) and document a treatment plan to address the particular injury. Subsequently, 4DCT-based treatment plans will be compared with arthroscopic evaluation (obtained in Aim 2); any existing wrist x-rays (e.g. AP, lateral, stress views) and MRIs may be used in this comparison as well. The surgeon will then select and perform the targeted surgical intervention based on both 4DCT and arthroscopic findings. 4DCT will be performed, and the PRWE and VAS completed by patients at 1 year postoperatively; quantification of radioscaphoid contact patterns will be assessed during bilateral wrist flexion-extension and radial-ulnar deviation to determine if normal patterns of motion are restored.

Interventions

DEVICE4DCT

4DCT will be used to assess the location of the torn scapholunate interosseus ligament.

Sponsors

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
CollaboratorNIH
Kristin Zhao, PhD
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. unilateral scapholunate instability 2. point tenderness over the dorsal aspect of the scapholunate joint 3. positive Watson shift sign (Watson et al., J Hand Surg Am, 1988; 13:657-60); 4. suspected pathology on previous fluoroscopy or MRI;

Exclusion criteria

1. previously-diagnosed rheumatological conditions or connective tissue diseases 2. inability to be appropriately positioned in the scanner for the imaging 3. congenital malformations of the wrist or forearm 4. diagnosed wrist osteoarthritis 5. age under 18 or over 60

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Equivalency of 4DCT-based Treatment Plan to Arthroscopic-based Treatment Plan.Baseline, Post-4DCT Viewing, Post-ArthroscopyBaseline, Post-4DCT Viewing, Post-Arthroscopy estimates or observations were made by the attending surgeon of Geissler grading, an arthroscopic classification of carpal instability and suggested management of acute injuries to the SLIL. Lower Geissler grading indicates milder damage and suggests more conservative injury management, and higher Geissler grading indicates more severe damage and suggests more aggressive injury management.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Subject Perception of Surgical OutcomeBaseline and 1 Year Post-SurgeryBaseline and one year post-surgery Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) Score will measure patient perception of change. The PRWE allows patients to rate their levels of wrist pain and disability from 0 to 10, with higher numbers representing more pain and disability, and consists of 2 subscales as well as a total score: Pain subscale: contains 5 items each of which is further rated from 0-10. The maximum score in this section is 50 and minimum 0, with a higher score suggesting more severe and frequent pain. Function subscale: contains total 10 items. The maximum score in this section is 50 and minimum 0, with a higher score suggesting greater difficulty performing activities of daily living. Total score: all subscales together. The maximum score in this section is 100 and minimum 0, with a higher score suggesting more pain and disability overall.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
SLIL Injury
Surgical interventions for all subjects will be determined based on combined findings of both 4DCT and standard arthroscopy. 4DCT: 4DCT will be used to assess the location of the torn scapholunate interosseus ligament.
29
Total29

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000
Overall StudyComplicating disease1
Overall StudyLost to Follow-up4
Overall StudyPhysician Decision2
Overall StudyPregnancy1
Overall StudySubject did not proceed to reconstructive surgery.1
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject4

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicSLIL Injury
Age, Continuous41.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 13
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
0 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
28 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
27 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
29 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
24 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 29
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 29
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 29

Outcome results

Primary

Equivalency of 4DCT-based Treatment Plan to Arthroscopic-based Treatment Plan.

Baseline, Post-4DCT Viewing, Post-Arthroscopy estimates or observations were made by the attending surgeon of Geissler grading, an arthroscopic classification of carpal instability and suggested management of acute injuries to the SLIL. Lower Geissler grading indicates milder damage and suggests more conservative injury management, and higher Geissler grading indicates more severe damage and suggests more aggressive injury management.

Time frame: Baseline, Post-4DCT Viewing, Post-Arthroscopy

Population: All participants who underwent 4DCT scanning were analyzed for suspected change in Geissler grade. A subset of participants who proceeded to arthroscopy were analyzed for grading agreement between arthroscopy and 4DCT scan, and between arthroscopy and clinical suspicion prior to the 4DCT scan occurring.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
SLIL InjuryEquivalency of 4DCT-based Treatment Plan to Arthroscopic-based Treatment Plan.4DCT changed suspected Geissler stage5 Participants
SLIL InjuryEquivalency of 4DCT-based Treatment Plan to Arthroscopic-based Treatment Plan.Agreement in Geissler stage between arthroscopy and 4DCT.14 Participants
SLIL InjuryEquivalency of 4DCT-based Treatment Plan to Arthroscopic-based Treatment Plan.Agreement in Geissler stage between arthroscopy and clinical suspicion pre-4DCT11 Participants
Secondary

Subject Perception of Surgical Outcome

Baseline and one year post-surgery Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) Score will measure patient perception of change. The PRWE allows patients to rate their levels of wrist pain and disability from 0 to 10, with higher numbers representing more pain and disability, and consists of 2 subscales as well as a total score: Pain subscale: contains 5 items each of which is further rated from 0-10. The maximum score in this section is 50 and minimum 0, with a higher score suggesting more severe and frequent pain. Function subscale: contains total 10 items. The maximum score in this section is 50 and minimum 0, with a higher score suggesting greater difficulty performing activities of daily living. Total score: all subscales together. The maximum score in this section is 100 and minimum 0, with a higher score suggesting more pain and disability overall.

Time frame: Baseline and 1 Year Post-Surgery

Population: All subjects who completed 1-year follow-up evaluation

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEDIAN)
SLIL InjurySubject Perception of Surgical OutcomePain domain change between baseline and 1-year post surgery-12.5 score on a scale
SLIL InjurySubject Perception of Surgical OutcomeFunctional impairment change between baseline and 1-year post surgery-4.5 score on a scale
SLIL InjurySubject Perception of Surgical OutcomeTotal PRWE score change between baseline and 1-year post surgery-20 score on a scale

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026