NCT04996628

Brief Summary

Abdominal pain in chronic pancreatitis (CP) affects up to 90% of patients during the course of their disease, and response to currently available therapies is suboptimal and unpredictable. The proposed clinical trial will evaluate the predictive capability of Pancreatic Quantitative Sensory Testing (P-QST) - a novel assessment of neurosensory phenotyping- for improvement in pain in patients with CP who are undergoing medically-indicated invasive treatment with endoscopic therapy or surgery.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
150

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
2mo left

Started Jan 2022

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

3 active sites

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress97%
Jan 2022Jun 2026

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 23, 2021

Completed
17 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

August 9, 2021

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 4, 2022

Completed
4.5 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 30, 2026

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 30, 2026

Last Updated

December 22, 2025

Status Verified

December 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

4.5 years

First QC Date

July 23, 2021

Last Update Submit

December 19, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

Chronic PainChronic PancreatitisRecurrent Acute PancreatitisChronic Abdominal PainERCPPancreatic Surgery

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Average Pain Score

    The primary outcome of the study is average pain score at 6 months post-procedure based on single-question numeric rating scale (NRS) (Scale of 0 to 10 how intense abdominal pain has been on average over the past 7 days (Scale: 0=No pain, 10=Worst pain Imaginable.)

    six months post procedure

Secondary Outcomes (27)

  • Change from baseline in Seven Day Pain Diary Score

    3 months after intervention.

  • Change from baseline in Seven Day Pain Diary Score

    6 months after intervention.

  • Change from baseline in Seven Day Pain Diary Score

    12 months after intervention.

  • Change from baseline in Single-question NRS score

    at 3 months after intervention

  • Change from baseline in Single-question NRS score

    at 12 months.

  • +22 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (1)

Pancreatic Quantitative Sensory Testing (P-QST)

EXPERIMENTAL

Definite Chronic Pancreatitis patients undergoing decompressive invasive treatments (endoscopic therapy or surgery) to relieve main pancreatic duct obstruction due to stones and/or stricture for management of pain will undergo P-QST prior to clinically-indicated invasive treatment.

Diagnostic Test: Quantitative Sensory Test 1Diagnostic Test: Quantitative Sensory Test 2Diagnostic Test: Quantitative Sensory Test 3

Interventions

Subject will give pain rating (on Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) 0-10) of single as well as multiple stimulation with round-tip non-invasive pin-prick device. Difference is recorded as Temporal Summation Score.

Also known as: Temporal Summation
Pancreatic Quantitative Sensory Testing (P-QST)

Subject will state when they first detect pain and pain detection threshold in response to pressure administration with pressure algometer. Pressure threshold recorded in kilopascals(kP). Stimulation will be repeated in pancreatic and control dermatomes. Subject will then state pain tolerance threshold at same locations. Sensitization will be characterized by ratio of pancreatic vs. control dermatome scores.

Also known as: Pressure Threshold Testing
Pancreatic Quantitative Sensory Testing (P-QST)

Subject will apply dominant hand to ice-chilled water bath (36F) for up to 2 minutes. Pain score (VAS 0-10) will be assessed each 10 seconds. Pain tolerance threshold (in kP) will be assessed with algometer on non-dominant thigh before and after water bath to determine change in threshold. Difference in pain tolerance recorded as Conditioned Pain Modulation Score.

Also known as: Conditioned Pain Modulation
Pancreatic Quantitative Sensory Testing (P-QST)

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Adult patients ≥ 18 years of age with definite CP undergoing decompressive invasive treatments (endoscopic therapy or surgery) to relieve main pancreatic duct obstruction due to stones and/or stricture for management of pain.
  • Endoscopic therapy: Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with pancreatic duct stone removal, stent placement, and/or stricture dilation, ± intraductal lithotripsy or Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL).
  • Surgery: drainage procedures (Frey and Puestow operations)

You may not qualify if:

  • Patients with chronic pain from conditions other than CP
  • Patients \< 18 years of age
  • Patients who have had endoscopic therapy within the past 12 months
  • Patients who have undergone prior pancreatic surgery
  • Patients who have resective surgical procedure planned (eg. Whipple procedure, Total Pancreatectomy)
  • Patients with peripheral sensory deficits
  • Patients with known pregnancy at the time of study screening\*\*
  • Note: Women who become pregnant during the course of the study can no longer participate in P-QST testing.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (3)

Indiana University Medical Center

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States

RECRUITING

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States

RECRUITING

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

  • Phillips AE, Afghani E, Akshintala VS, Benos PY, Das R, Drewes AM, Easler J, Faghih M, Gabbert C, Halappa V, Khashab MA, Olesen SS, Saloman JL, Sholosh B, Slivka A, Wang T, Yadav D, Singh VK. Pancreatic quantitative sensory testing to predict treatment response of endoscopic therapy or surgery for painful chronic pancreatitis with pancreatic duct obstruction: study protocol for an observational clinical trial. BMJ Open. 2024 Mar 21;14(3):e081505. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081505.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pancreatitis, ChronicChronic PainPancreatitis

Interventions

Postsynaptic Potential Summation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pancreatic DiseasesDigestive System DiseasesChronic DiseaseDisease AttributesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsPainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Synaptic TransmissionSignal TransductionBiochemical PhenomenaChemical PhenomenaSynaptic PotentialsMembrane PotentialsCell Physiological PhenomenaElectrophysiological PhenomenaPhysiological PhenomenaNervous System Physiological PhenomenaMusculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

  • Anna Evans Phillips, MD, MS

    University of Pittsburgh

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Anna Evans Phillips, MD, MS

CONTACT

Apsara Mishra

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Model Details: Participants are assessed at baseline for nociceptive pattern via P-QST and followed longitudinally for the duration of the study
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 23, 2021

First Posted

August 9, 2021

Study Start

January 4, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2026

Last Updated

December 22, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

De-identified patient data may be shared with investigators from outside institutions for ancillary studies upon request. Requests should be made to study principal investigator at evansac3@upmc.edu. Researchers interested in learning techniques of P-QST will be able to receive information and training upon request through our institutions. Results and conclusions from this project will be shared publicly with other medical research and physicians through presentation at scientific meetings and in one or more final publications.

Time Frame
Data will be available at the close of the study and for 5 years subsequent.
Access Criteria
Individual requests for data sharing can be made to evansac3@upmc.edu

Locations