Description Module

Description Module

The Description Module contains narrative descriptions of the clinical trial, including a brief summary and detailed description. These descriptions provide important information about the study's purpose, methodology, and key details in language accessible to both researchers and the general public.

Description Module path is as follows:

Study -> Protocol Section -> Description Module

Description Module


Ignite Creation Date: 2025-12-24 @ 10:38 PM
Ignite Modification Date: 2025-12-24 @ 10:38 PM
NCT ID: NCT04796935
Brief Summary: This study will compare the VerTouch device to the conventional palpation technique for performing diagnostic and therapeutic neuraxial procedures.
Detailed Description: Neuraxial procedures, in which a needle is inserted into the spinal canal through a gap in the vertebrae, are performed at a rate of nearly 13 million per year in the US, across a myriad of diagnostic and therapeutic clinical scenarios. The standard of care involves manual palpation of the patient's back to detect the spinous processes (SPs) and estimate the location of the interspinous needle insertion site. While providers are trained to perform these procedures with meticulous precision and attention to detail, this technique remains highly inaccurate, often requiring multiple insertion attempts to properly place the needle. These attempts lead to patient pain and complications, such as traumatic taps and post-dural puncture (PDPH) headaches; unpredictable procedure times; and poor facility throughput. The VerTouch device uses tactile imaging to offer a non-invasive, untethered, non radiation-producing solution for visualizing spinal anatomy in order to identify an ideal location for needle placement in a neuraxial procedure. The device can be used to mark the identified site with a surgical marker, or to begin placement of a needle or introducer at that site. Study participants will be recruited in two parallel cohorts: the control (palpation) group or the tactile imaging (VerTouch) group, further stratified by procedure setting, including emergency medicine, neurology, and anesthesiology. Once an insertion site is marked with a marker or shallow placement of a needle or introducer, the procedure will continue in the usual manner for subjects in both groups.
Study: NCT04796935
Study Brief:
Protocol Section: NCT04796935