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RecruitingNCT05892458Updated Jun 9, 2023

Effect of Abdominal Massage on Prevention of Recurrent Common Bile Duct Stones After Endoscopic Sphincterotomy

An interventional study of Abdominal massage in Common Bile Duct Stone and Abdominal Massage, sponsored by Air Force Military Medical University, China. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-06-09.

Sponsored by Air Force Military Medical University, China · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jul 2025, 1 year 4 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Registered 1 year after the study started (first participant enrolled May 2022, registered May 2023).
  • Started May 2022; still recruiting 4 years 6 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
166
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) are the preferred techniques for treating common bile duct stones (CBDS) due to their advantages of minimal trauma, rapid recovery, low cost, and high success rates of up to 95%. Despite these benefits, the recurrence rate of CBDS in patients after endoscopic therapy ranges from 4% to 25%, posing a significant challenge for endoscopists and an urgent problem to be addressed.

Abdominal massage is a promising non-invasive physical intervention for preventing recurrent CBDS. This technique is a simple, effective, and non-invasive technique that can be utilized for patient self-management and is widely used in the field of digestive diseases. External pressure applied to the common bile duct during abdominal massage may promote bile excretion from the duct to the duodenum, similar to the effect of gallbladder movement flushing bile, which can prevent bile deposition in the common bile duct, thereby preventing the formation of new stones or flushing away newly-generated small stones.

Therefore, investigators plan to conduct a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled study to investigate the preventive effect of abdominal massage in patients with recurrent CBDS.

02

Conditions studied

  • Common Bile Duct Stone
  • Abdominal Massage

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03

In context

Gallstones

199 studies on the registry are indexed under Gallstones; 35 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 166 is above the median of 98 across 121 interventional studies indexed under Gallstones.

Browse Gallstones studies →

Lead sponsor

Air Force Military Medical University, China is the lead sponsor of 178 studies on the registry; 37 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 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

  • Age 18-75;
  • Patients with common bile duct stones recurrence;

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Incomplete clearance of recurrent common bile duct stones;
  • Anatomical changes (such as Billroth I/II, Roux-en-Y);
  • to abdominal massage (such as abdominal surgery, active gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal obstruction, acute abdomen, etc.);
  • Expected lifespan of less than two years;
  • Unstable hemodynamics;
  • Malignant arrhythmia;
  • Pregnancy or lactation;
  • Unwillingness or inability to sign an form.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

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.

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.

Informed consent

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05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
166 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Abdominal massage group

    The researchers demonstrated the key points of abdominal massage to patients through a video and provided a detailed explanation of the technique. Patients were encouraged to repeat and practice the massage technique after the video session. To track patient compliance, patients were required to document the frequency of their daily massages, and a designated individual collected this information via WeChat. Follow-up consultations were conducted at 1 month after enrollment and every 3 months thereafter. Patients were encouraged to contact their doctors at any time if they experienced discomfort during the study period.

    Behavioral: Abdominal massage

  • No intervention
    Control group

    The control group did not receive any special intervention and were only followed up at 1 month after inclusion and every 3 months thereafter. Patients in this group were advised to contact their doctors if they experienced discomfort during the study period.

Interventions

  • BehavioralAbdominal massage

    To perform abdominal massage, patients should keep their upper body in an upright or semi-decumbent position. Using their right four fingers or palm, they should apply pressure to the middle point of the lower margin of the right upper abdominal ribs, which corresponds to the opening of the gallbladder and common bile duct. The pressure should be firm, with a depth of approximately 3-4 cm and a length of 5-10 cm, and should be applied at least once a day for 10-15 minutes per session.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Recurrent rate of CBDS within two years

    Within the two years, CBDS was found again by CT, MRCP, ERCP or biliary surgery

    Time frame: up to 2 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Recurrence time of CBDS

    The specific time it took for patients to have stone recurrence

    Time frame: up to 2 years

  2. Recurrence times of CBDS

    The number of stone recurrences within two years

    Time frame: up to 2 years

  3. Post-ERCP complication

    Adverse events after ERCP, including bleeding, perforation, biliary tract infection, and so on

    Time frame: up to 2 years

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Uchida N, Hamaya S, Tatsuta M, Nakatsu T. Extracorporeal abdominal massage may help prevent recurrent bile duct stones after endoscopic sphincterotomy. Endosc Int Open. 2016 Aug;4(8):E870-3. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-109774. Epub 2016 Aug 9. PubMed 27540575 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 9, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05892458
Responsible party
Yanglin Pan (Professor, Air Force Military Medical University, China) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 7, 2023
Start date
May 10, 2022
Primary completion
Jul 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 9, 2023

Study contacts

Yanglin Pan, MD
Contact
yanglinpan@hotmail.com
86-29-84771536

Oversight

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

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