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Not yet recruitingNCT06882278Updated Mar 24, 2025

Pulsed Radiofrequency Combined With Platelet-Rich Plasma Applied to the Sphenopalatine Ganglion in Treating Episodic Cluster Headache

An observational study in Cluster Headache, Pain Management and Episodic Cluster Headache, sponsored by Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-24.

Sponsored by Beijing Tiantan Hospital · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
242
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Cluster headache (CH) is one of the most severe pain accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic symptoms such as lacrimation and conjunctival injection. CH can be categorized into episodic cluster headache (ECH), chronic cluster headache (CCH), and probable CH. Intervention for CH requires a multifaceted and early approach and varies due to the heterogeneity of patients, which makes it difficult to formulate appropriate treatment plan, and the minimally invasive interventional therapy between drug and surgical treatment is still worth looking forward to.

The pterygopalatine ganglion, also known as SPG, is a essential proportion in activation of cortical structures and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of CH attacks, which makes it the potential therapeutic target in drug-resistant CH. Percutaneous pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) at SPG is a minimally destructive treatment which shows efficacy, safety, and repeatedly efficacy for refractory CH. PRF is a reliable alternative with few neurological side effects and complications for patients who have not responded to conservative treatment. However, the long term pain relieve is not satisfying. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous blood-derived product of 3 times concentrated platelet above average levels, which contains many growth factors, cytokines, chemokine, and cell-adhesion molecules, therefore function in the activation and synthesis of healing process, tissue proliferation and regeneration. Researches by Michno etc. and Giaccari etc. have proved that PRP combined with PRF therapy may provide more effective outcome than PRF alone in treatment of neuralgia, but whether the combined therapy can improve the efficacy of CH treatment is not clear. ECH occurs in 90% of the CH patients. The investigators assume that PRP combined with PRF acting on SPG might have better therapeutic effect on ECH than PRF alone, by giving combined treatment or PRF therapy alone according to patients willingness, the investigators plan on conducting this prospective trail to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of PRP combined with PRF versus PRF alone.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cluster Headache
  • Pain Management
  • Episodic Cluster Headache

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Keywords

  • Episodic Cluster Headache
  • Pain management
  • Pulsed Radiofrequency
  • Platlet-rich Plasma
03

In context

Cluster Headache

123 studies on the registry are indexed under Cluster Headache; 26 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 242 is above the median of 68 across 32 observational studies indexed under Cluster Headache.

Browse Cluster Headache studies →

Lead sponsor

Beijing Tiantan Hospital is the lead sponsor of 489 studies on the registry; 293 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Suitable participants will be screened at the pain management centre of Department of Pain Management, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University in Beijing, China; Department of Pain Management, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Henan, China; Department of Pain Management, Huadong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai. to participate in the study.

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

  1. The diagnosis of ECH is confirmed according to the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders third edition 3 (Table 2), and the patient is within five days of the current cluster period;
  2. The patient's age is between 18 and 70 years;
  3. Patients have had ≥2 bouts previously, ≥4 typical (treated or untreated) attacks per week and usual bouts should last 4 weeks;
  4. The patient's pain condition remains the same after preventive therapy with drugs available in our hospital such as verapamil, topiramate, lithium or , or there is a reduction of less than 50% in the intensity and frequency of headache attacks, the duration of each attack and the dosage of auxiliary analgesic drugs used.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Have atypical features: absence of cranial autonomic symptoms, post-traumatic onset, cluster-tic syndrome;
  2. Abnormalities in blood measurements, liver and kidney function, blood glucose, coagulation, electrocardiography or chest radiography;
  3. Infection at the puncture site;
  4. Previous mental illness;
  5. Previous history of narcotic drug abuse;
  6. Prior anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy;
  7. An implantable pulse generator;
  8. Previous history of invasive treatments such as pterygopalatine ganglion radiofrequency thermocoagulation and chemical destruction;
  9. Current pregnancy or breast feeding.
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.

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.

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
242 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Pulse Radiofrequency combined with Platelet Rich Plasma

    The pulse treatment generator will be set to the automatic pulsed radiofrequency mode, with a temperature of 42°C, pulse frequency of 2Hz, pulse width of 20ms and treatment duration of 360s. After removing the radiofrequency electrode, 2 ml of LP-PRP mixture will be injected slowly into the sphenopalatine ganglion. Additional analgesics will be administered for participants' comfort during and after the procedure. If the patients were not satisfied with the outcome after one month, other treatment options will be available.

  • Pulse Radiofrequency alone

    The pulse treatment generator will be set to the automatic pulsed radiofrequency mode, with a temperature of 42°C, pulse frequency of 2Hz, pulse width of 20ms and treatment duration of 360s. Patient from this group will not receive PRP injection.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. change in the weekly frequency of cluster headache attacks

    The overall mean change from baseline in the weekly frequency of cluster headache attacks across weeks 1 through 3

    Time frame: At 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks after the operation

Secondary outcomes

  1. change in the weekly frequency of cluster headache attacks

    the overall mean change from baseline in the weekly frequency of cluster headache attacks

    Time frame: At 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year after the operation

  2. the percentage of patients with a reduction of at least 50% in the weekly frequency of cluster headache attacks

    the percentage of patients with a reduction from baseline of at least 50% in the weekly frequency of cluster headache attacks

    Time frame: At 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year after the operation.

  3. the degree of pain

    the degree of pain during headache attacks (NRS scores)

    Time frame: At 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year after the operation.

  4. the duration of each headache attack

    the duration of each headache attack

    Time frame: At 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 3 weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year after the procedure.

  5. dose of auxiliary analgesic drugs

    the dose of auxiliary analgesic drugs taken

    Time frame: At 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 3 weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year after the procedure.

  6. self-rated patient satisfaction

    the self-rated patient satisfaction, from 0 point for unsatisfied to 10 points for very satisfied.

    Time frame: At 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 3 weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year after the procedure.

  7. WHOQOL-BREF

    the degree of patient satisfaction measured by WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire).

    Time frame: At 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 3 weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year after the procedure.

  8. adverse events

    For intraoperative AEs, the occurrence of puncture pain, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, facial haematoma and other effects will be recorded. For postoperative AEs, headache, dizziness, facial numbness and other effects will also be recorded.

    Time frame: At 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 3 weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months and 1year after the procedure.

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 24, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06882278
Collaborators
People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Huadong Hospital
Responsible party
Fang Luo (Director of Department of Pain Management, Beijing Tiantan Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 18, 2025
Start date
May 1, 2025 (estimated)
Primary completion
May 1, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
May 1, 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 24, 2025

Oversight

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

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