Safety and Effectiveness of Ultrasound-guided Pharmacopuncture for Spinal Diseases

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Ultrasound-guided Pharmacopuncture: This is a procedure in which a Korean medicine doctor utilizes an ultrasound imaging device during pharmacopuncture injection for either of the following two purposes: 1. Screening purpose: To pre-examine and identify the locations of high-risk structures, such as major nerves and blood vessels, prior to the injection. 2. Guiding purpose: To observe the injection pathway and target tissues in real-time while administering the pharmacopuncture fluid into the acupoints and targets. In this study, this intervention is not assigned for research purposes; rather, it is performed entirely according to the clinician's routine medical judgment and clinical care plan.

Study summary

This multi-center registry study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture for patients diagnosed with spinal diseases. A total of 600 patients, aged 19 to under 70 years, will be enrolled across six Korean medicine hospitals. Eligible participants must have a pain Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) of 5 or higher for their most dominant spinal pain, which includes neck pain with upper extremity radiating pain, or low back pain with lower extremity radiating pain. As a non-interventional observational study, it will include patients who are already planned to receive ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture as part of their routine clinical care. The primary outcome is the change in the most dominant spinal pain intensity measured by the NRS from baseline to 4 weeks. Secondary outcomes include functional disability evaluated using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) or Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), quality of life using the EQ-5D-5L, and patient satisfaction. Safety will be closely monitored by assessing all adverse events at every visit, evaluating their incidence, severity, and causality related to the procedure. Participants will be selected based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure safety and consistency. Ethical standards including informed consent, data privacy, and ongoing safety monitoring will be rigorously upheld throughout the study.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Change in Pain Intensity : Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) — Baseline to Week 4
  The NRS will evaluate the intensity of the most predominant pain (neck pain and upper limb radiating pain OR low back pain and lower limb radiating pain) caused by spinal diseases over the past 3 days. Patients select a number from 0 to 10, where 0 is 'no pain' and 10 is 'the worst pain imaginable'. Higher scores indicate a more severe level of pain (a worse outcome). The primary efficacy endpoint will compare the change in the NRS score from baseline to Week 4.

Trial sites (6)

More Jaseng Medical Foundation trials in South Korea

Other trials for the same condition