Actively Recruiting
Efficacy of Surgical Joint Denervation in Painful Digital Osteoarthritis
Led by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris · Updated on 2025-07-14
19
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
13 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Osteoarthritis of the hands, also called digital osteoarthritis, is a common joint condition causing intense pain and loss of function, especially in its erosive form. This condition affects many people and currently has no cure, with existing treatments offering limited relief. Surgical options like joint fusion or prosthesis are invasive and rarely used. This trial evaluates a surgical nerve-cutting procedure called denervation to reduce pain in painful digital osteoarthritis. The study assesses the effect of surgical joint denervation on painful proximal interphalangeal joints (PIPJ) in digital osteoarthritis. This outpatient procedure under local anesthesia takes about 30 minutes and involves cutting nerve branches supplying the affected joint to disrupt pain signals. The trial is a prospective phase II study aiming to measure both the clinical efficacy and structural changes visible on MRI after surgery. Participants will be followed for at least 6 months after surgery. Researchers will evaluate the success of the intervention at 3 months and assess pain levels, quality of life, grip strength, and patient global impression of change at 6 months. Patients will complete questionnaires and undergo clinical assessments to monitor outcomes. The trial is sponsored by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris and seeks to provide evidence for this treatment approach in digital osteoarthritis.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Efficacy of Surgical Joint Denervation in Painful Digital Osteoarthritis
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Age 18 years or older
- Diagnosis of symptomatic digital osteoarthritis according to American College of Rheumatology criteria
- Pain in one proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) with a pain score of 4 or higher for more than 3 months
- Failed usual medical treatments for at least 3 months (level 1 analgesics, NSAIDs, infiltrations)
- Signed informed consent
- Affiliated to a social security scheme
- Able to read French for completing questionnaires
You will not qualify if you...
- Digital osteoarthritis due to other known causes (gout, reactive arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, spondyloarthropathies, septic arthritis)
- Contraindications to anesthesia or MRI
- Presence of pain syndrome in upper limbs interfering with assessment
- Fibromyalgia
- Use of corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, or hyaluronic acid infiltration in finger joints within the past month
- New treatment for hand osteoarthritis started within the past month including physiotherapy or new finger orthosis
- Previous denervation of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP)
- Under legal protection or deprived of liberty
- Under AME (medical aid)
- Participation in another interventional research or within exclusion period after previous research
AI-Screening
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Your Study Journey
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Duration - Day of surgery plus immediate recovery period
Participants undergo surgical denervation of the painful proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) to reduce pain by cutting nerve branches, performed as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia.
1 surgical visit (outpatient procedure)
Duration - 6 months
Participants are monitored for pain relief, quality of life, grip strength, and overall success of the intervention over 6 months after surgery.
Multiple follow-up visits up to 6 months
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Rheumatology department Saint-Antoine Hospital
Paris, France, 75012
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
A
Adeline CAMBON-BINDER, MD PhD
J
Jérémie SELLAM
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NA
Model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Number of Arms
1
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