Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

An Exploratory Interventional study to assess the effects of cranioplasty on brain network connectivity, neuropsychological and motor functioning in patients with severe acquired brain injury with pre-, post-cranioplasty and 6 months follow-up assessments.


Clinical Trial Description

BACKGROUND: Cranioplasty (CP) refers to the surgical reconstruction of the cranial defect secondary to Decompressive Craniectomy (DC). The aim of this intervention is not only to restore cranial cosmesis and the normal cerebral protection, but also to facilitate neurological rehabilitation. Clinical improvements after CP, may occur as early as 4 days after the surgical reconstruction of the cranial vault and may include vigilance/consciousness, sensorimotor and cognitive functioning. In particular, several studies showed relevant neurological improvement of motor and cognitive impairments as well as in the disability level in severe acquired brain injury (sABI) patients treated with DC in the acute phase. To date, it is not possible to predict the extent of the expected improvement after CP, and the effects in terms of long-term functional outcome appears to be variable from subject to subject. The CO-CRAN (COnnectivity in CRANioplasty) study is based on the experimental hypothesis that the extent of recovery could be significantly correlated with the degree of integrity of the neural network, in relation to the primary damage, of the cerebral hemisphere ipsilateral to craniectomy. It is assumed that if the neural network is relatively intact, the extent of the recovery could be maximal. Conversely, when there is an extensive functional impairment of the underlying craniectomy flap, the impairment of the neural network does not allow a maximum recovery. AIM: The aim of the study is to investigate possible morpho-functional neuroimaging determinants that may be predictive of post-cranioplasty recovery in patients with sABI undergoing DC. METHODS: Exploratory clinical trial with pre-test, post-test, and 6 months follow-up assessments. Medical drugs and device are not involved in the study. The design provides only one group of patients who underwent CP. POPULATION: Patients with sABI treated with DC will be recruited in the Neurorehabilitation Unit of the IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna. Subjects will be recruited accordingly to the following eligibility criteria: - Inclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosis of sABI, a neurological condition due to a severe acquired brain damage (i.e., traumatic brain injury, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke) with a coma lasting at least 24 hours, according to a Glasgow Coma Scale equal or lower than 8 and/or complex and severe neurological disabilities treatable only in high specialty neurehabilitative settings. 2. Early DC, within 24 h; 3. Age between 18 and 75 years; 4. Intra-hospital rehabilitation setting (ordinary hospitalization or day hospithal); 5. Informed consent agreement. - Exclusion Criteria: 1. Medical instability at enrollment, defined as the acute onset of an unexplained derangement of vital parameters (i.e., temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, level of responsiveness) outside the normal range (for example, fever, acute internist conditions, etc.) and/or the onset of any new medical condition requiring unexpected additional diagnostic procedures and treatments (for example, severe pain, reduction of urinary output, etc.); 2. Post-traumatic agitation; 3. Dehiscence, in progress, of the DC surgical wound; 4. CP already performed; 5. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) absolute contraindications. INTERVENTION: 3-T MRI scanner with a 64-channel head for structural and functional imaging (Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Tractography and resting state fMRI). CONTROL: There is no control group, although normative data relating to a population of healthy subjects, matched by sex and age, are used to define normative parameters for functional imaging. OUTCOMES: Multidisciplinary assessment with clinical and neurophysiological indices. All of the assessment measures will be administrated following the same timing: Pre-test: within 10 days before CP; Post-test: from 30 to 40 days after CP; Follow-up: from 170 to 190 days after CP. EXPECTED RESULTS: The Study results may inform on the correlation between neurophysiological changes in terms of structural and functional connectivity after DC and long term cognitive, motor and clinical outcomes. RANDOMIZATION: N/A ASSESSOR AND PATIENT BLINDNESS: N/A CASE REPORT AND DATA MONITORING: Specific case report forms (CRF) for every clinical and motor scale in the assessments are already available and will be used. All information about neurophysiological results will be promptly reported on the electronic database. A researcher will be responsible for the electronic database, data analyses and will draft the single patient record at the end of all procedures. In case of lost to follow-up, the information available up to that moment will be considered SAMPLE SIZE: From the retrospective analysis of hospitalizations carried out in previous years, it is estimated that the incidence of patients with DC is around 23% per year. Therefore, out of a total of about 65 annual hospitalizations, it is estimated that 10 patients can be enrolled within two years. DATA ANALYSES: Considering the exploratory nature of the study, descriptive statistics in the pre-post and follow-up time points will be reported and compared. The analysis will be performed by one-way ANOVA for continuous variables and Mann-Witney test for ordinal variables ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT05440682
Study type Interventional
Source Azienda Usl di Bologna
Contact Fabio La Porta, Md
Phone 051 622 5111
Email fabiolaporta@mail.com
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A
Start date October 27, 2020
Completion date April 27, 2023

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Terminated NCT03052712 - Validation and Standardization of a Battery Evaluation of the Socio-emotional Functions in Various Neurological Pathologies N/A
Recruiting NCT05503316 - The Roll of Balance Confidence in Gait Rehabilitation in Persons With a Lesion of the Central Nervous System N/A
Completed NCT04356963 - Adjunct VR Pain Management in Acute Brain Injury N/A
Completed NCT03418129 - Neuromodulatory Treatments for Pain Management in TBI N/A
Terminated NCT03698747 - Myelin Imaging in Concussed High School Football Players
Recruiting NCT05130658 - Study to Improve Ambulation in Individuals With TBI Using Virtual Reality -Based Treadmill Training N/A
Recruiting NCT04560946 - Personalized, Augmented Cognitive Training (PACT) for Service Members and Veterans With a History of TBI N/A
Completed NCT05160194 - Gaining Real-Life Skills Over the Web N/A
Recruiting NCT02059941 - Managing Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Without Intracranial Pressure Monitoring (ICP) Monitoring Guidelines N/A
Recruiting NCT03940443 - Differences in Mortality and Morbidity in Patients Suffering a Time-critical Condition Between GEMS and HEMS
Recruiting NCT03937947 - Traumatic Brain Injury Associated Radiological DVT Incidence and Significance Study
Completed NCT04465019 - Exoskeleton Rehabilitation on TBI
Recruiting NCT04530955 - Transitioning to a Valve-Gated Intrathecal Drug Delivery System (IDDS) N/A
Recruiting NCT03899532 - Remote Ischemic Conditioning in Traumatic Brain Injury N/A
Suspended NCT04244058 - Changes in Glutamatergic Neurotransmission of Severe TBI Patients Early Phase 1
Completed NCT03307070 - Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Depression in Patients With Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury N/A
Recruiting NCT04274777 - The Relationship Between Lipid Peroxidation Products From Traumatic Brain Injury and Secondary Coagulation Disorders
Withdrawn NCT04199130 - Cognitive Rehabilitation and Brain Activity of Attention-Control Impairment in TBI N/A
Withdrawn NCT05062148 - Fundamental and Applied Concussion Recovery Modality Research and Development: Applications for the Enhanced Recovery N/A
Withdrawn NCT03626727 - Evaluation of the Efficacy of Sodium Oxybate (Xyrem®) in Treatment of Post-traumatic Narcolepsy and Post-traumatic Hypersomnia Early Phase 1