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Not yet recruitingNCT077206873D-MMA-cSDH TrUpdated Jul 23, 2026

Template-Guided Burr-Hole Drainage With Middle Meningeal Artery Coagulation for Chronic Subdural Hematoma

An interventional study of Standard Burr-Hole Drainage Group and 3D-Printed Template-Guided Burr-Hole Drainage With Attempted MMA Coagulation Group in Chronic Subdural Hematoma, sponsored by The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-23.

Sponsored by The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
440
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Chronic subdural hematoma is a collection of blood and fluid on the surface of the brain that is common in older adults. Burr-hole drainage is a standard surgical treatment, but the hematoma may come back in some patients and require another procedure.This study will test whether using a patient-specific 3D-printed template to guide burr-hole placement, combined with coagulation of the middle meningeal artery during surgery, can reduce the risk of hematoma recurrence compared with standard burr-hole drainage.Participants with symptomatic chronic subdural hematoma who need surgery will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive standard burr-hole drainage. The other group will receive 3D-printed template-guided burr-hole drainage with attempted intraoperative frontal branch of the middle meningeal artery coagulation when it can be safely performed.The main outcome is whether the hematoma comes back and requires another invasive treatment within 3 months after surgery. The study will also assess brain imaging results, neurological recovery, complications, hospital stay, and the feasibility and safety of the 3D-printed template and artery coagulation procedure.

Read the detailed description

Chronic subdural hematoma is a common neurosurgical disease, especially in older adults. Burr-hole drainage with closed-system drainage is widely used as standard surgical treatment. However, recurrence after surgery remains an important clinical problem and may require repeat invasive treatment.

The middle meningeal artery is believed to contribute to the blood supply of the outer membrane of chronic subdural hematoma. Interruption of middle meningeal artery flow may reduce repeated microbleeding and fluid exudation from the hematoma membrane. Endovascular middle meningeal artery embolization has shown promising results, but it requires angiographic equipment, interventional expertise, embolic materials, and additional cost.

This study evaluates a surgical strategy that combines patient-specific 3D-printed template guidance with burr-hole drainage and intraoperative middle meningeal artery coagulation. Preoperative thin-slice computed tomography images will be used to plan the burr-hole location and design a 3D-printed template. The template is intended to help surgeons locate a burr-hole site related to the expected course of the middle meningeal artery(frontal branch) while still allowing effective hematoma drainage.

Participants with symptomatic chronic subdural hematoma requiring burr-hole drainage will be randomly assigned to receive either standard burr-hole drainage or 3D-printed template-guided burr-hole drainage with attempted intraoperative middle meningeal artery coagulation when safely feasible.

The study will test whether this approach can reduce recurrence requiring repeat invasive treatment within 3 months after surgery. It will also assess clinical recovery, radiological changes, complications, resource use, and the feasibility and safety of template-guided localization and intraoperative artery coagulation.Patient safety will take priority over completion of the coagulation step. If the middle meningeal artery or a related branch cannot be clearly identified or safely coagulated during surgery, coagulation will not be performed, and standard hematoma drainage will be completed.

02

Conditions studied

  • Chronic Subdural Hematoma

Keywords

  • Chronic subdural hematoma
  • Middle meningeal artery
  • Middle meningeal artery coagulation
  • 3D printing
  • Burr-hole drainage
03

In context

Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic

112 studies on the registry are indexed under Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic; 49 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 440 is above the median of 185 across 86 interventional studies indexed under Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic.

Browse Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic studies →

Lead sponsor

The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University is the lead sponsor of 30 studies on the registry; 18 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Patients diagnosed with chronic subdural hematoma based on clinical symptoms and cranial CT or MRI.
  • Patients scheduled to undergo burr-hole drainage surgery.
  • Age 18 years or older.
  • Written obtained from the patient or legal representative. Exclusion Criteria
  • Acute subdural hematoma or other intracranial lesions requiring different surgical management.
  • Previous surgery for the same episode of chronic subdural hematoma.
  • Severe coagulation disorder or other to surgery.
  • Severe systemic disease making the patient unsuitable for participation.
  • Refusal or inability to provide informed consent.
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.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

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.

05

Study design

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

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Standard Burr-Hole Drainage

    Participants assigned to this arm will undergo standard burr-hole drainage for chronic subdural hematoma according to routine clinical practice.

    Procedure: Standard Burr-Hole Drainage Group

  • Experimental
    3D-Printed Template-Guided Burr-Hole Drainage With Attempted MMA Coagulation

    Participants assigned to this arm will undergo 3D-printed template-guided burr-hole drainage combined with attempted intraoperative middle meningeal artery coagulation for chronic subdural hematoma.

    Procedure: 3D-Printed Template-Guided Burr-Hole Drainage With Attempted MMA Coagulation Group

Interventions

  • ProcedureStandard Burr-Hole Drainage Group

    Standard burr-hole drainage performed according to routine clinical practice for chronic subdural hematoma.

  • Procedure3D-Printed Template-Guided Burr-Hole Drainage With Attempted MMA Coagulation Group

    Burr-hole drainage performed using a patient-specific 3D-printed template for surgical guidance, combined with attempted intraoperative coagulation of the middle meningeal artery.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Recurrence of Chronic Subdural Hematoma Requiring Invasive Re-intervention within 3 Months after Surgery

    Recurrence is defined as radiologically confirmed recurrent chronic subdural hematoma requiring repeat surgical intervention within 3 months after the initial surgery (e.g., repeat burr-hole drainage, craniotomy, endoscopic treatment, and/or MMA embolization).

    Time frame: Within 3 months after surgery

Secondary outcomes

  1. Incidence of cSDH Recurrence (Hematoma Progression)

    Incidence of cSDH Recurrence (Hematoma Progression): Hematoma progression will be defined as radiological increase in ipsilateral and/or bilateral subdural hematoma on follow-up imaging compared with the predefined postoperative baseline. Hematoma progression (Yes/No) will be considered present if any of the following criteria are met: (1) increase in maximal subdural hematoma thickness by ≥ 5 mm; (2) increase in midline shift by ≥ 3 mm; or (3) increase in hematoma cavity volume by ≥ 25%. The incidence will be reported as a percentage.

    Time frame: Within 3 months after surgery

  2. Functional Outcome Measured by the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS)

    Functional Outcome Measured by the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS): Functional status will be measured using the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), a 7-point ordinal scale ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death). Lower scores indicate better functional outcome.

    Time frame: Within 3 months after surgery

  3. MMA identification rate

    Deviation between Planned and Actual Burr-hole Sites: MMA identification rate will be reported as a percentage.

    Time frame: Intra-operative

  4. Number of participants experiencing one or more peri-operative surgical or medical complications

    Incidence of Peri-Operative Complications:Number of participants experiencing one or more peri-operative surgical or medical complications (e.g., wound infection, seizure, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism, acute subdural haematoma). Reported as a count and percentage.

    Time frame: Intra-operative through 30 days post-operatively

  5. Length of Hospital Stay

    Length of Hospital Stay: Length of hospital stay is defined as the number of days from admission to discharge.

    Time frame: up to 30 days

  6. All-cause Mortality

    All-cause Mortality: Proportion of participants who die from any cause during follow-up; reported as percentage.

    Time frame: Within 3 months after surgery

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — We will share the individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results, including de-identified participant data: Participant-level data: baseline characteristics and pre-specified outcome Outcome data: all measures used for the primary and secondary endpoints Study data files: datasets used for the statistical analyses (e.g., analysis-ready datasets and relevant derived variables)

Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form, Clinical study report

Time frame: The IPD and supporting information will be available starting in January 2027(study start date) and will remain available until June 2029 (study completion date).

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 Jul 23, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07720687
Lead sponsor
The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University
Collaborators
Xijing Hospital
Responsible party
Jie Shen (Principal Investigator, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 22, 2026
Start date
Jan 2027 (estimated)
Primary completion
Dec 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 23, 2026

Study contacts

Jie Shen, MD
Contact
efy126405@fy.ahmu.edu.cn
+8613515515154

Oversight

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

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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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