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CompletedNCT02240563Updated May 5, 2017

Low Level Laser Therapy for Autoimmune Thyroiditis

An interventional study of Low-level laser therapy and Non laser ordinary red light in Autoimmune Thyroiditis, sponsored by University of Sao Paulo General Hospital. Completed at 2 sites in Brazil. Open to participants aged 20 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-05-05.

Sponsored by University of Sao Paulo General Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
43
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
20 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

INTRODUCTION: Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (TCA) is the main cause of acquired hypothyroidism, which requires continuous treatment with levothyroxine (LT4). A randomized, placebo-controlled trial including 43 patients with hypothyroidism caused by TCA without nodules on ultrasonography study (US) was conducted from March 2006 to March 2009 (NCT01129492). Among them, 23 were submitted to low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and 20 to placebo. The LLLT was effective in improving the echogenicity, the volume and of the thyroid vascularization pattern by US. There was also improvement in the thyroid function and reduction of serum thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb). Although the results have shown promising and LLLT has shown to be safe in many study models, the long-term LLLT actions on the thyroid parenchyma are unknown. Thus, the objective of this study is to perform biochemical tests and thyroid US six years after the clinical trial interventions to evaluate levothyroxine dose, serum levels of autoantibodies and, especially, the frequency and nature of nodules in the gland and then compare these variables between LLLT and placebo groups. METHODS: This study will include the trial participants performed six years before. The levothyroxine dose and serum levels of thyrotropin (TSH), T3, T4, free T4, TPOAb and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) will be evaluated in these patients. The thyroid US will assess the texture (with particular attention to identifying nodules), echogenicity, volume, as well as vascularization of the gland. The US nodules features, such as dimensions, shape, margins, extracapsular invasion, echogenicity, texture, hypoechoic halo, calcification, internal content, vascularization pattern and resistivity index will be searched. Regional lymph nodes and other characteristics will be also investigated. The USs will be carried out by only one examiner who will be blinded for the previously performed intervention (LILT or placebo). The same investigator will execute a fine needle aspiration (FNA) of patients with thyroid nodules. The cytological analysis of the material collected from the nodules will be undertaken by a pathologist who will be also blinded for the treatment assignments. RESULTS: The following variables will be compared between the two groups: levothyroxine doses, antithyroid antibodies, US parameters, thyroid nodules (if detected) and in this case, the result of their respective FNA.

02

Conditions studied

  • Autoimmune Thyroiditis

Keywords

  • autoimmune thyroiditis
  • LLLT
  • safety
  • ultrasound
03

In context

Thyroiditis, Autoimmune

27 studies on the registry are indexed under Thyroiditis, Autoimmune; 4 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 43 is below the median of 70 across 19 interventional studies indexed under Thyroiditis, Autoimmune.

Browse Thyroiditis, Autoimmune studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Sao Paulo General Hospital is the lead sponsor of 611 studies on the registry; 98 are open to participants now.

Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
20 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

All patients who have hypothyroidism caused by thyroiditis included in the randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial (NCT01129492)

Exclusion criteria

-

Exclusion Criteria:

All patients who have hypothyroidism caused by thyroiditis included in the aforementioned trial (NCT01129492) who underwent surgery and/or therapeutic administration of radioiodine for thyroid diseases during the period between the initial assessment of patients up to the present study.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
43 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Low-level laser therapy

    This group of patients was treated with a continuous wave diode laser device (830 nanometer, infrared) with a beam area of 0.002827 cm2 using the punctual method on the continuous emission mode at an output power of 50 milliwatts and a fluence of 707 Joules/cm2 six years before.

    Procedure: Low-level laser therapy

  • Placebo comparator
    Non laser ordinary red light

    This group of patients was treated using the same method and equipment, except that a non laser ordinary red light, an output power of 0.1 Watt and a fluence of 1.41 Joules/cm2 and an irradiance value of 0.0002827 Watts/cm2 (the placebo), indistinguishable from the laser beam, was used. Therefore, the patients were blinded to which treatment they received.

    Procedure: Non laser ordinary red light

Interventions

  • ProcedureLow-level laser therapy

    Also known as: Low-power laser therapy

  • ProcedureNon laser ordinary red light

    Also known as: Placebo

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants with Thyroid Nodules as a Measure of Safety

    Time frame: Six Years after Each Patient Treatment

Secondary outcomes

  1. Serum Levels of Anti-Thyroglobulin Antibodies as a Measure of Long Term Efficacy

    Time frame: Six Years after Each Patient Treatment

Other outcomes

  1. The Levothyroxine Required Dose as a Measure of Long-Term Efficacy

    Time frame: Six Years after Each Patient Treatment

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • University of Sao Paulo General Hospital, Radiology Institute
    Sao Paulo, 05403-000, Brazil
  • University of Sao Paulo General Hospital
    São Paulo, Brazil
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Hofling DB, Chavantes MC, Juliano AG, Cerri GG, Knobel M, Yoshimura EM, Chammas MC. Low-level laser in the treatment of patients with hypothyroidism induced by chronic autoimmune thyroiditis: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Lasers Med Sci. 2013 May;28(3):743-53. doi: 10.1007/s10103-012-1129-9. Epub 2012 Jun 21. PubMed 22718472 ↗
  • Hofling DB, Chavantes MC, Juliano AG, Cerri GG, Romao R, Yoshimura EM, Chammas MC. Low-level laser therapy in chronic autoimmune thyroiditis: a pilot study. Lasers Surg Med. 2010 Aug;42(6):589-96. doi: 10.1002/lsm.20941. PubMed 20662037 ↗
  • Hofling DB, Chavantes MC, Juliano AG, Cerri GG, Knobel M, Yoshimura EM, Chammas MC. Assessment of the effects of low-level laser therapy on the thyroid vascularization of patients with autoimmune hypothyroidism by color Doppler ultrasound. ISRN Endocrinol. 2012;2012:126720. doi: 10.5402/2012/126720. Epub 2012 Dec 17. PubMed 23316383 ↗
  • Hofling DB, Chavantes MC, Buchpiguel CA, Cerri GG, Marui S, Carneiro PC, Chammas MC. Safety and Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Autoimmune Thyroiditis: Long-Term Follow-Up Study. Int J Endocrinol. 2018 Nov 4;2018:8387530. doi: 10.1155/2018/8387530. eCollection 2018. PubMed 30532779 ↗
09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Sep 2014, a primary completion of Mar 2016 and a completion of Mar 2016. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jun 23, 2014
First posted
Sep 15, 2014
Start
Sep 2014
Primary completionActual
Mar 2016
CompletionActual
Mar 2016
Last update
May 5, 2017
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 5, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02240563
Collaborators
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Responsible party
Danilo Bianchini Hofling (MD, University of Sao Paulo General Hospital, University of Sao Paulo General Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 15, 2014
Start date
Sep 2014
Primary completion
Mar 2016
Completion
Mar 2016
Last update
May 5, 2017

Study contacts

Maria Cristina Chammas, MD
study director · University of Sao Paulo General Hospital
Carlos Alberto Buchpiguel, PhD
study chair · University of Sao Paulo General Hospital
Danilo B Höfling, MD
principal investigator · University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in May 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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