Muscle Ultrasound: A New Tool for Measuring Progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Completed
Conditions studied: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
In brief
This is a study in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). We will use muscle ultrasound as a tool to try and see if there are changes in muscle size that can find out how fast ALS is progressing. This might give us a better way to carry out further studies on new drugs to see if they might help slow the progression of ALS. Participants in the study will have muscle ultrasound performed on a few muscles in the arms and legs at the first visit, and again 3 months later, and one last time 3 months after that. This takes about 10 minutes, is painless, and involves scanning the muscle with a handheld device, with some gel applied to the skin. At each visit, there will also be a questionnaire about symptoms and strength testing.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00838617
- Run by
- Vanderbilt University
- People needed
- 10
- Starts
- 2009-02-01
- Expected to finish
- 2009-08-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2009-12-11
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- must meet the El Escorial criterion for definite or probable ALS.
- forced vital capacity (FVC) must exceed 50%.
You may not qualify if…
- Patients with primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) and other forms of motor neuron disorders
- severe weakness from ALS who require continuous mechanical ventilation, who have a forced vital capacity less than 50%, or who have no clinically measurable strength in the arms and legs.
- Patients without cognitive capacity to give informed consent. (This is not a clinical feature of ALS, and therefore such patients would have an alternate diagnosis that would prevent such capacity.)
Where it is running
- ALS Clinic, Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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