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Ethanol Sclerotherapy Prior to ART

The Impact of Ethanol Sclerotherapy Before ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) Cycle on Cumulative Live Birth Rate in Infertile Women With Endometrioma: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05962775
Acronym
START
Enrollment
84
Registered
2023-07-27
Start date
2023-05-01
Completion date
2026-04-01
Last updated
2024-10-16

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

Conditions

ART, Endometrioma, Infertility, IVF, Sclerotherapy

Keywords

endometrioma, ethanol sclerotherapy, assisted reproductive technology, in vitro fertilization, cumulative live birth rate

Brief summary

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to assess the impact of ethanol sclerotherapy on ART cycle outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does ethanol sclerotherapy before ART cycle has any impact on cumulative live birth rate in patients with endometrioma? 2. Does ethanol sclerotherapy improve chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, complications during oocyte retrieval, response to ovarian stimulation (number of mature oocytes retrieved), and pregnancy loss rates? Infertile patients with endometrioma between 4-10 cm who are scheduled for ART within 2 cycles will be randomized to ethanol sclerotherapy or no intervention.

Detailed description

The effect of ethanol sclerotherapy before assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycle in patients with endometrioma on reproductive outcomes will be investigated. While endometrioma may result in technical difficulties in the ART process, the superiority of ethanol sclerotherapy has yet to be examined before the ART procedure in randomized controlled studies and meta-analyses. The negative effect of ethanol sclerotherapy on ovarian reserve was found to be less than other existing interventions such as cyst stripping. However, randomized controlled studies did not determine its direct effect on ART outcome. Our current study aimed to assess the effect of ethanol sclerotherapy on ART outcomes. Infertile patients aged 18-40 years with at least one endometrioma 4-10 cm and scheduled for ART will be included in the study. Patients with any untreated thyroid dysfunction or additional disease, such as hyperprolactinemia, those who did not accept the study information and consent, and patients younger than 18 or older than 40 will not be included. Those who underwent surgery for endometrioma within 3 months before ART will be excluded. In addition, patients with an anti-mullerian hormone value below 0.3 ng/ml will not be included in the study.

Interventions

PROCEDUREEthanol Sclerotherapy for Endometrioma

2 gr IV cefazolin sodium will be administered 30 minutes before the procedure. The endometrioma cyst content will be aspirated by a single lumen needle, and the total aspirated volume calculation will be done. The endometrioma will then be washed with saline until the color of the cyst content becomes clear. Then, 96% ethanol will be injected into the cyst. The volume of injected ethanol will be 60% of the first aspirated volume (maximum 100 ml). After 10 minutes all ethanol will be aspirated.

Sponsors

Hacettepe University
CollaboratorOTHER
Ankara University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* AMH\>0.3 ng/ml * unilateral/bilateral endometrioma * Endometrioma diameter 40-100 mm

Exclusion criteria

* 3 or more IVF/embryo transfer failure * Menstrual cycle abnormalities * Male Factor infertility * Presence of uterine fibroids * Presence of hydrosalpinx * Presence of uterine abnormalities * Suspicion of malignancy according to International Ovarian Tumor Analysis criteria

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Cumulative live birth rate18 monthslive births following fresh and frozen-thaw transfer of all embryos unless pregnancy occurs

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
pain scores3 monthsVisual Analog Pain Scale scores related to dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and/or pelvic pain will be measured before and after procedure. 0 is the lowest, 10 is the highest score. Higher the score means higher the pain.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Contacts

Primary ContactYavuz Emre Sukur
yesukur@gmail.com+905332409381
Backup ContactSezcan Mumusoglu
sezcanmumusoglu@gmail.com+905326404673

Outcome results

None listed

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