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TerminatedNCT02348099Updated May 7, 2025Results posted

Ultrasound Detection and Characterization of Subclinical Hypertrophy in Diabetes

An observational study in Diabetes and Lipohypertrophy, sponsored by University of British Columbia. Terminated at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 19 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-05-07.

Sponsored by University of British Columbia · Observational

Why this study was terminated
The study run its course
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
100
Ages
19 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

This is a pilot study to enroll 100 people to assess the incidence of lipohypertrophy as detected with ultrasound and its impact on glycemic variability.

Read the detailed description

Lipohypertrophy is a well documented phenomenon in patients with diabetes in which hypertrophy and differentiation of adipocytes occurs in the dermal reticular layer at the sites of subcutaneous insulin injection. Currently, lipohypertrophy is assessed by palpating insulin injection sites. The detection on early, non palpable (subclinical) lipohypertrophy remains difficult in the clinical setting. Recent studies have identified distinct ultrasonographic features of hyperechogenicity in areas of adipose tissue consistent with clinical evidence of lipohypertrophy at insulin injection sites, and have detected changes int he thickness of subcutaneous tissue where not clinically evident in population of patients with type 1 diabetes. Lipohypertrophy can adversely affect glycemic control. Injecting into lipohypertrophic areas leads to poor absorption and the need for increasing doses of insulin.

In this study study participants will undergo an assessment for lipohypertrophy during a scheduled visit at the VGH Diabetes Centre. A Diabetes Nurse will assess lipohypertrophy by palpation according to the FIT Protocol. A second diabetes nurse who was not present at the palpation will assess insulin injection sites for lipohypertrophy by ultrasound using a linear probe.

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Conditions studied

  • Diabetes
  • Lipohypertrophy

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Keywords

  • Diabetes
  • Lipohypertrophy
  • Ultrasound
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In context

Diabetes Mellitus

10,925 studies on the registry are indexed under Diabetes Mellitus; 1,319 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 100 is below the median of 233 across 2,220 observational studies indexed under Diabetes Mellitus.

Browse Diabetes Mellitus studies →

Lead sponsor

University of British Columbia is the lead sponsor of 1,309 studies on the registry; 253 are open to participants now.

Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 1 (17%) have results posted.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
19 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

People age 19 and over with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who take insulin to manage their diabetes.

Inclusion criteria

  • 19 years of age or older
  • Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
  • Using insulin to manage diabetes for at least 2 years

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Using insulin pumps, insulin secretagogues, Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists to manage diabetes
  • Use of immunosuppressant agents
  • Women who are pregnant
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Study design

Observational model
Case-only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
100 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Interventions

  • OtherUltrasound

    Abdomen scanned with portable ultrasound to determine presence of subclinical lipohypertrophy.

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants With Presence of Subclinical Lipohypertrophy

    Lipohypertrophy seen on ultrasound but not felt by palpation

    Time frame: Assessed one time only at the time of clinic visit

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Results

Posted Apr 4, 2025

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneDiabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
Started100
Completed100
Not completed0

Outcome measures

PrimaryNumber of Participants With Presence of Subclinical Lipohypertrophy

Lipohypertrophy seen on ultrasound but not felt by palpation

Time frame:
Assessed one time only at the time of clinic visit
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Presence of Subclinical Lipohypertrophy
ParticipantsDiabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
Number of Participants With Presence of Subclinical Lipohypertrophy20
Statistical analysis
  • Diabetes Patients Treated With Insulin · t-test, 2 sided · p = <0.01 · Odds ratio (or): 95

Adverse events

Collected over During study procedure within study visit up to 1 hour. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Diabetes Patients Treated With Insulin0/100 (0%)0/100 (0%)1/100 (1%)
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventDiabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
Skin infectionSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders1/100

Baseline characteristics

This is a pilot study in a minimum of 100 patients with diabetes who have been using insulin therapy for at least two years and being treated with insulin at the time of the study.

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Diabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
<=18 years0
Between 18 and 65 years80
>=65 years20
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Diabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
Mean50 (19 to 77)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Diabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
Female50
Male50
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Diabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
American Indian or Alaska Native5
Asian25
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0
Black or African American10
White30
More than one race15
Unknown or Not Reported15
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(Participants)Diabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
Canada100
Presence of Lipohypertrophy
Presence of Lipohypertrophy(participants)Diabetes Patients Treated With Insulin
Number100
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Vancouver General Hospital
    Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada
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References and documents

Publications

  • Kapeluto JE, Paty BW, Chang SD, Meneilly GS. Ultrasound detection of insulin-induced lipohypertrophy in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Diabet Med. 2018 Oct;35(10):1383-1390. doi: 10.1111/dme.13764. Epub 2018 Jul 16. PubMed 29908078 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · May 26, 2016

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 7, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02348099
Lead sponsor
University of British Columbia
Responsible party
Graydon Meneilly (Professor, UBC Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 28, 2015
Start date
Mar 2015
Primary completion
Feb 8, 2021
Completion
Apr 22, 2025
Results posted
Apr 4, 2025
Last update
May 7, 2025

Study contacts

Graydon Meneilly, MD
principal investigator · University of British Columbia

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is terminated, as verified in Apr 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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