RECRUITING

Cryoneurolysis for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy of the Foot

Description

The study is a single-center, randomized, participant- and observer-masked, human-subjects, post-market clinical pilot study to investigate the use of ultrasound-guided percutaneous cryoneurolysis to treat diabetic neuropathy of the foot. A prolonged nerve block may be provided by freezing the nerve using a technique called "cryoneurolysis". With cryoneurolysis and ultrasound machines, a small needle-like "probe" may be placed through anesthetized skin and guided to the target nerve to allow freezing. The procedure takes about 6 minutes for each nerve, involves little discomfort, has no systemic side effects, and cannot be misused or become addictive. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two possible treatments groups: cryoneurolysis (experimental) or sham (control). The primary outcome measure is the change in pain on the neuropathic pain scale from baseline 1 month following the procedure.

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

The study is a single-center, randomized, participant- and observer-masked, human-subjects, post-market clinical pilot study to investigate the use of ultrasound-guided percutaneous cryoneurolysis to treat diabetic neuropathy of the foot. A prolonged nerve block may be provided by freezing the nerve using a technique called "cryoneurolysis". With cryoneurolysis and ultrasound machines, a small needle-like "probe" may be placed through anesthetized skin and guided to the target nerve to allow freezing. The procedure takes about 6 minutes for each nerve, involves little discomfort, has no systemic side effects, and cannot be misused or become addictive. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two possible treatments groups: cryoneurolysis (experimental) or sham (control). The primary outcome measure is the change in pain on the neuropathic pain scale from baseline 1 month following the procedure.

Ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Cryoneurolysis for Management of Chronic Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: A Randomized Sham-controlled Pilot Study

Cryoneurolysis for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy of the Foot

Condition
Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (PDPN)
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

La Jolla

University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States, 92129

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Research participants with diabetes mellitus and painful diabetic neuropathy of the foot (unilateral or bilateral)
  • * HgbA1c \<10 (to avoid any increased risk of site infection)
  • * Adult patients of at least 18 years of age
  • * Experiencing at least moderate diabetic neuropathic pain in the foot - defined as 3 or higher on the numeric rating scale (NRS; 0-10, 0=no pain; 10=worse imaginable pain) - at least daily for the previous 2 months.
  • * Diabetic neuropathy not in the distribution of the superficial peroneal nerve, sural nerve, deep peroneal, and/or distal saphenous nerve.
  • * Comorbidities that are contraindication to cryoneurolysis (e.g., Reynaud syndrome, cryoglobulinemia, cold urticaria)
  • * Allergy to local anesthetic
  • * Pregnancy
  • * Incarceration
  • * Inability to communicate to investigators due to lack of capacity
  • * Local infection in the foot/ankle where cryoneurolysis will be performed

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

University of California, San Diego,

Study Record Dates

2026-06