An interventional study of Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasound in Sacroiliitis and Low Back Pain, sponsored by Federico II University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-16.
Sponsored by Federico II University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Our study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound in the management of low back pain due to sacroiliitis. Sacroiliitis is the inflammation of a joint in the lowest part of the spin and it is one of the cause of low back; the diagnosis is essentially based on clinical examination and the confirmation of this diagnosis relies on a significant pain relief following an infiltration of local anesthetic in the joint. One of the potential treatment is to ablate the nerves which carry the painful stimuli from the joint to the central nervous system through; these nerves enter the spinal canal through the sacral foramina which are two series of four pairs of openings located on the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine. Traditionally, these nerves are ablated by the heat produced by radiofrequency or the cold produced by cryoablation; both techniques require percutaneous needle insertion in close proximity to the targeted nerves, posing potential discomfort and risk of infection for the patient. High intensity focused ultrasound delivered by the device Neurolyser XR uses ultrasounds which are converged to the targeted point thanks to a gel pad positioned on the back of the patient; this mechanism of action does not require sterile conditions as the skin is not pierced and the discomfort of patient is dramatically reduced during the procedure for there is non need to insert and move any needle to properly position it. The correct orientation of the ultrasound beam is guaranteed by the alignment of the targeting system of the device and the X-ray image. The lesion is produced only if there is a bone right under the focus of the ultrasound beam and this is a safety system which assures that no direct injuries of other structures (e.g., vessels, spinal root) can be caused. To date, Neurolyser XR has been extensively used to treat facet joint syndrome through the ablation of the medial branches. However, its application in sacroiliitis has not yet been as deeply investigated.
42 studies on the registry are indexed under Sacroiliitis; 11 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 48 across 28 interventional studies indexed under Sacroiliitis.
Browse Sacroiliitis studies →Federico II University is the lead sponsor of 366 studies on the registry; 61 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
Device: Patients treated with high intensity focused ultrasound
Patients in this group will be treated with high intensity focused ultrasound; they will be placed in a prone position and through radiographic guidance, the targeting system of the device will be sequentially positioned in 6-8 points along a line between sacral foramina and sacroiliac joint to produce as many lesions. Before any ablation, a 20 second stimulation at low energy will be performed to confirm the right position of the ultrasound focus than a higher intensity stimulation will be applied to perform the ablation.
Pain intensity
Numeric rating scale (NRS): the patient has to assign a number from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain) to his pain
Time frame: From the enrollment to the end of 6 month follow-up
Plan to share: No
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions 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.