ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04274543Updated Dec 18, 2024

Ultrasound-Guided Injections for Meniscal Injuries in Active-Duty Military

A Phase 2 interventional study of Lipogems and Normal Saline in Tibial Meniscus Injuries, Knee Injuries and Knee Injuries and Disorders, sponsored by Kessler Foundation. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-18.

Sponsored by Kessler Foundation · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was Dec 2024, 1 year 11 months ago, and no results have been posted to the registry.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
3
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 45 Years
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-12

Among 94 studies in Knee Injuries with a site in United States — 16 open to participants now, 24 under way, 1 of them phase 3. Knee Injuries · United States.

Enrollment
70th of 75
3 · median 40
Started
2019
with 5 others
Phase 2
2 of 94
none open now
Registered
47th of 94
by date

Among the 94 studies in Knee Injuries with a site in United States, this one is the 70th largest by enrollment of the 75 interventional ones, is one of 6 that started in 2019, is one of 2 in phase 2, and was the 47th registered.

By phase

94 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.

No phase57 · 10 open
Observational19 · 4 open
Phase 39 · 0 open
Phase 12 · 1 open
Phase 1/22 · 0 open
Phase 2this study2 · 0 open
Phase 42 · 1 open
Phase 2/31 · 0 open

By the year they started

First in 2002; this study’s year is marked. 6 started in 2019.

Size and results

Median enrollment 40 across the 75 interventional studies, 170 across the 19 observational. Of the 59 that completed or were terminated, 26 (44%) have results posted.

Was this useful?
Watch this landscapeDownload CSVWith an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 94 studies in Knee Injuries with a site in United States, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

Knee injuries are common among active-duty military personnel. One of the most common knee injuries is a meniscus tear, which can have several consequences. Immediately, the soldier may be separated from the military for over one year or assigned a permanent activity limiting duty profile. Over time, meniscal tears may also increase the risk of other knee injuries, such as osteoarthritis, which is one of the most common medical reasons for discharge from active duty service. The current standard of care includes conservative treatments, such as physical therapy and rest. Once conservative treatments fail, surgery is generally the next option. However, there is limited evidence that surgery is effective and some studies suggest it can accelerate the development of osteoarthritis. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a regenerative treatment for meniscal tears termed micro-fragmented adipose tissue in reducing pain and restoring activity levels. We will recruit active-duty military personnel and civilians with meniscal tears and provide them with either the adipose tissue treatment or a control treatment consisting of saline. We will then follow these individuals for up to one year and evaluate differences in pain and function between the two groups. The ultimate goal is to show that micro-fragmented adipose tissue is a viable alternative for the treatment of meniscal tears in active-duty military personnel.

Read the detailed description

This is randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of autologous, micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) injection under ultrasound guidance for meniscal injuries in active duty military personnel. The control for this study, to which MFAT will be compared, is trephination with saline injection into the meniscal tear. Eighty (80) healthy, phyisically-fit men and women with confirmed, acute meniscal tears will be recruited and placed into one of two treatment groups.

Percutaneous trephination with MFAT: Micro-fragmented adipose tissue will be obtained by using a minimal manipulation technique in a closed system (Lipogems®), without the addition of enzymes or any additives. The final product will consist of micronized fat tissue yielding fat clusters with preserved vascular stroma of about 500 microns with intact stromal vascular niches and harboring regenerative cellular elements. Approximately 1-2 mL of micro-fragmented adipose will be injected into the meniscus with an 18-gauge x 3.5 inch needle under continuous ultrasound guidance. An additional 4-5 mL will be injected into the knee joint. No other biological or pharmacological agents will be used in combination with the micro-fragmented adipose.

Percutaneous trephination with saline: In this group, the physician will identify the mensical lesion using ultrasound and will trephinate the torn meniscus with normal saline (0.9%) solution using an 18 guage x 3.5 inch needle. Approximately 1-2 mL will be injected into the meniscus and an additional 4-5 mL will be injected into the knee joint under ultrasound guidance.

Both Groups: Participants will be followed for adverse events and changes in shoulder pain intensity on an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS; 0-10, with anchors "no pain" and "pain as bad as you can imagine"); the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS); the PROMIS Physical Functioning short form; knee physical and ultrasound examinations; and a 5-point subject global impression of change (SGIC) scale. Subjects will be examined at 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the treatment.

03

Conditions studied

  • Tibial Meniscus Injuries
  • Knee Injuries
  • Knee Injuries and Disorders

Keywords

  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Knee Pain
  • Meniscus Tear
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 45 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

  • 18-45 years old.
  • At least one of the following symptoms consistent with torn meniscus: joint line pain, clicking, popping, pain with pivot or torque.
  • Physical examination findings consistent with a meniscal tear: joint line tenderness; localized pain with flexion; and other provocative tests such as McMurray's and Thessaly test.
  • MRI or arthroscopic evidence of meniscal tear without significant additional joint pathology.
  • Failed conservative treatment for a minimum of 4 weeks, which has included rest, ice, anti-inflammatory or other medications for pain; physical therapy; with or without/ injections, including and/or hyaluronic acid injections.

Additional criteria: Patients who have been told by an orthopedic surgeon that they would be a candidate for arthroscopic partial meniscectomy.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Chronically locked knee.
  • Greater than Kellgren-Lawrence Grade II.
  • Prior surgery performed on the effected knee.
  • Assessment showing anything other than degenerative tears of the medial meniscus requiring surgical intervention.
  • Recent (within 6 weeks) treatment with PRP, cortisone (oral or injection), or hyaluronic injection.
  • Any disease or condition the investigator feels would hinder treatment.
  • Any to lipoaspirate, including a bleeding disorder, infection, pregnancy, or allergy to anesthetic agents.
  • Chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Possible joint infection including Lyme disease of the joint.
  • within the last 5 years.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

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.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
3 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue

    Participants will receive a single injection of normal saline (0.9%) solution into the lesion (e.g. tear) and knee joint under ultrasound guidance using an 18 gauge x 3.5 inch needle.

    Device: Lipogems

  • Active comparator
    Saline

    Participants will receive a single injection of micro-fragmented adipose tissue into the lesion (e.g. tear) and knee joint under ultrasound guidance using an 18 gauge x 3.5 inch needle.

    Drug: Normal Saline

Interventions

  • DeviceLipogems

    The Lipogems system (Lipogems International SpA, Milan, Italy) is designed to isolate autologous, micro-fragmented adipose tissue without enzymes or other additives. It uses mild mechanical forces to break down adipose tissue that is extracted from the patient into a form that can be injected into the meniscal lesion and other degenerated tissues in a sterile and safe manner. The resulting product is rich in pericytes and mesenchymal stromal cells, retained within an intact stromal vascular niche, that is ready for use in clinical applications.

    Also known as: Micro-fragmented Adipose Tissue

  • Normal Saline solution is a mixture of sodium chloride in water (9 g NaCl per liter water, 0.9% saline). Trephination allows for vascular growth and healing, especially in the inner avascular regions of the meniscus, by puncturing the meniscus. Small "tunnels" are created, which allow for healing factors to reach the avascular inner region of the meniscus from the vascular peripheral regions.

    Also known as: Percutaneous Trephination with Saline

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Numerical Rating Scale

    Knee pain intensity will be assessed using an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS; 0-10, ranging from 0 = "no pain" to a maximum of 10= "pain as bad as you can imagine". Pain intensity is the most common pain domain assessed in research and clinical settings. Although different rating scales have proven to be valid for assessing pain intensity, the 11-point NRS has the most strengths and fewest weaknesses of available measures. An 11-point NRS measure of pain intensity allows for comparison across clinical trials of chronic pain treatment and has been recommended by the IMMPACT consensus group for use in pain clinical trials and by the 2006 NIDRR SCI Pain outcome measures consensus group. We will evaluate changes in scores between baseline and 3 months.

    Time frame: 3 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Patient Global Impression of Change

    The subject will be asked to rate on a 7-point scale his or her overall impression following treatment as compared to the previous measurement interval. The 7-point PGIC scale (also referred to as the original Guy/Farrar-PGIC scale; anchored by "very much improved" and "very much worse") is used to measure global treatment effect and is recommended as a compliment to unidimensional pain intensity scales. Although other versions of the PGIC scale exist, the SCI Measures Pain Committee recommends using the original Guy/Farrar-PGIC scale in clinical trials since it has been used extensively and been shown to be sensitive to change. We will evaluate scores at 3 months.

    Time frame: 3 months

  2. Patient Global Impression of Change

    The subject will be asked to rate on a 7-point scale his or her overall impression following treatment as compared to the previous measurement interval. The 7-point PGIC scale (also referred to as the original Guy/Farrar-PGIC scale; anchored by "very much improved" and "very much worse") is used to measure global treatment effect and is recommended as a compliment to unidimensional pain intensity scales. Although other versions of the PGIC scale exist, the SCI Measures Pain Committee recommends using the original Guy/Farrar-PGIC scale in clinical trials since it has been used extensively and been shown to be sensitive to change. We will evaluate scores at 6 months.

    Time frame: 6 months

  3. Patient Global Impression of Change

    The subject will be asked to rate on a 7-point scale his or her overall impression following treatment as compared to the previous measurement interval. The 7-point PGIC scale (also referred to as the original Guy/Farrar-PGIC scale; anchored by "very much improved" and "very much worse") is used to measure global treatment effect and is recommended as a compliment to unidimensional pain intensity scales. Although other versions of the PGIC scale exist, the SCI Measures Pain Committee recommends using the original Guy/Farrar-PGIC scale in clinical trials since it has been used extensively and been shown to be sensitive to change. We will evaluate scores at 12 months.

    Time frame: 12 months

  4. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score

    The KOOS is a disease-specific measure of knee injury-related sequelae. It includes five subscales meant to capture the complex nature of knee pain: pain, other symptoms, activities of daily living, sport and recreation function, and knee-related quality of life. The KOOS is the most widely used knee-related instrument, evidenced by its inclusion in large international patient datasets. It has strong psychometric properties, including test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. Its wide use also allows for effect size comparisons to other treatments for knee conditions.

    Time frame: 3 months

  5. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score

    The KOOS is a disease-specific measure of knee injury-related sequelae. It includes five subscales meant to capture the complex nature of knee pain: pain, other symptoms, activities of daily living, sport and recreation function, and knee-related quality of life. The KOOS is the most widely used knee-related instrument, evidenced by its inclusion in large international patient datasets. It has strong psychometric properties, including test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. Its wide use also allows for effect size comparisons to other treatments for knee conditions.

    Time frame: 6 months

  6. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score

    The KOOS is a disease-specific measure of knee injury-related sequelae. It includes five subscales meant to capture the complex nature of knee pain: pain, other symptoms, activities of daily living, sport and recreation function, and knee-related quality of life. The KOOS is the most widely used knee-related instrument, evidenced by its inclusion in large international patient datasets. It has strong psychometric properties, including test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. Its wide use also allows for effect size comparisons to other treatments for knee conditions.

    Time frame: 12 months

  7. Change in Numerical Rating Scale

    Knee pain intensity will be assessed using an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS; 0-10, ranging from 0 = "no pain" to a maximum of 10= "pain as bad as you can imagine". Pain intensity is the most common pain domain assessed in research and clinical settings. Although different rating scales have proven to be valid for assessing pain intensity, the 11-point NRS has the most strengths and fewest weaknesses of available measures. An 11-point NRS measure of pain intensity allows for comparison across clinical trials of chronic pain treatment and has been recommended by the IMMPACT consensus group for use in pain clinical trials and by the 2006 NIDRR SCI Pain outcome measures consensus group. We will evaluate changes in scores between baseline and 6 months.

    Time frame: 6 months

  8. Change in Numerical Rating Scale

    Knee pain intensity will be assessed using an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS; 0-10, ranging from 0 = "no pain" to a maximum of 10= "pain as bad as you can imagine". Pain intensity is the most common pain domain assessed in research and clinical settings. Although different rating scales have proven to be valid for assessing pain intensity, the 11-point NRS has the most strengths and fewest weaknesses of available measures. An 11-point NRS measure of pain intensity allows for comparison across clinical trials of chronic pain treatment and has been recommended by the IMMPACT consensus group for use in pain clinical trials and by the 2006 NIDRR SCI Pain outcome measures consensus group. We will evaluate changes in scores between baseline and 12 months.

    Time frame: 12 months

  9. PROMIS-Physical Functioning Short Form

    The PROMIS-PF is one member of a number of patient reported outcomes, which measures self-reported capability rather than actual performance of physical activities. It utilizes a 5-point Likert scale ("Without any difficulty" to "Unable to do") to assess difficulty with 20 different activities, such as getting in and out of a car or performing vigorous activities. It has shown construct validity among patients with arthritis and to be highly responsive to change in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

    Time frame: 3 months

  10. PROMIS-Physical Functioning Short Form

    The PROMIS-PF is one member of a number of patient reported outcomes, which measures self-reported capability rather than actual performance of physical activities. It utilizes a 5-point Likert scale ("Without any difficulty" to "Unable to do") to assess difficulty with 20 different activities, such as getting in and out of a car or performing vigorous activities. It has shown construct validity among patients with arthritis and to be highly responsive to change in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

    Time frame: 6 months

  11. PROMIS-Physical Functioning Short Form

    The PROMIS-PF is one member of a number of patient reported outcomes, which measures self-reported capability rather than actual performance of physical activities. It utilizes a 5-point Likert scale ("Without any difficulty" to "Unable to do") to assess difficulty with 20 different activities, such as getting in and out of a car or performing vigorous activities. It has shown construct validity among patients with arthritis and to be highly responsive to change in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

    Time frame: 12 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Kessler Foundation
    West Orange, New Jersey 07052, United States
08

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Jul 2019 to primary completion in Dec 2024, 65 months.

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

Registered
Jul 10, 2019
First posted
Feb 18, 2020
StartActual
Jul 1, 2019
Primary completionActual
Dec 1, 2024
CompletionActual
Dec 1, 2024
Last update
Dec 18, 2024
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 Dec 18, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04274543
Lead sponsor
Kessler Foundation
Collaborators
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Feb 18, 2020
Start date
Jul 1, 2019
Primary completion
Dec 1, 2024
Completion
Dec 1, 2024
Last update
Dec 18, 2024

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion