Clinical Research Directory

Core Muscle Function and Postural Control in Lower Extremity Amputees

The primary aim of this study is to determine the effect of amputation on core muscle groups by comparing core muscle thickness in individuals with lower extremity amputation to both their intact side and a healthy control group using ultrasonographic assessment. The secondary aim is to investigate the relationship between core muscle thickness and postural stability outcomes during different activities in individuals with lower extremity amputation, and to determine the effect of core muscles on postural control.

Weaning Assessment by Peripheral Muscle Ultrasonography

In this study, which aims to investigate the relationship between the weaning process and respiratory muscles-assessed via ultrasonographic measurement of peripheral muscle thickness-in patients over the age of 18 who have been in the intensive care unit for more than 24 hours, we will also examine whether there is a significant correlation between peripheral muscle thickness and diaphragm thickness, whether ultrasonographic findings correlate with weaning parameters, and whether peripheral muscle atrophy and diaphragm involvement are parallel or distinct processes.

Development of Assist Tool for Breast Examination Using the Principle of Ultrasonic Sensor

The accuracy of breast examinations and ultrasonography performed clinically to detect breast mass varies greatly depending on the physician\'s skill level, and the accuracy of breast examinations by non-experts is particularly low. In this study, we aimed to validate whether the concurrent use of ultrasound sensor technology is an efficient strategy for the purpose of improving the sensitivity of detecting breast masses through breast examination.

Airway Ultrasound vs Clinical Predictors for Difficult Airway

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the diagnostic value of airway ultrasonography in predicting difficult intubation in adult patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia. Preoperative sonographic measurements of upper airway structures will be compared with conventional clinical airway assessment parameters such as the Mallampati score, thyromental distance, and sternomental distance. The study seeks to determine whether ultrasonographic measurements can serve as independent predictors of difficult airway and whether combining them with clinical parameters improves diagnostic accuracy. Additionally, the correlation between sonographic findings and the Intubation Difficulty Scale (IDS) will be analyzed to assess the potential clinical utility of airway ultrasound in preoperative airway evaluation.

Relationship Between Gastrocnemius and Soleus Muscle Thickness Assessed by Ultrasound and Balance and Fear of Falling in Hemiplegic Patients

Structural and functional changes occurring in the lower extremity muscles of hemiplegic stroke patients play a decisive role in gait ability, balance impairment, and fall risk. In this context, the relationship between muscle architecture parameters such as the thickness of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles and functional performance is being investigated. Ultrasonography is a reliable and accessible method for the non-invasive assessment of muscle thickness. Yakut et al. (2024) reported that in acute stroke patients, particularly the thickness and cross-sectional area of the soleus muscle were significantly associated with the Berg Balance Scale, Single-Leg Stance Test, and Timed Up and Go Test. In the same study, it was also shown that the thickness of the gastrocnemius muscle on the non-paretic side was related to balance. Onat et al. (2022) demonstrated correlations between lower extremity muscle architecture and measures such as the Timed Up and Go Test, Fugl-Meyer Lower Extremity Assessment, and Functional Independence Measure, emphasizing that the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles play a determining role in motor and functional level. Suh et al. (2022) reported that trunk muscle thickness was significantly associated with the Berg Balance Scale, Functional Ambulation Scale, and Functional Reach Test. In this study, gastrocnemius and soleus muscle thickness will be evaluated using ultrasonography in subacute and chronic stroke patients, and their relationship with balance (Berg Balance Scale), mobility (Timed Up and Go Test and Functional Ambulation Scale), and fear of falling (Falls Efficacy Scale International) will be investigated. The study aims to provide original contributions to the literature by revealing the interaction between muscle architecture and both physical and psychosocial outcomes, and to support the development of targeted rehabilitation strategies for individuals at high risk of falling.

Evaluation of Anterior Neck Ultrasound in Predicting Difficult Airway in Obese Patients

Obese patients are at increased risk of difficult airway management due to anatomical changes in the anterior neck soft tissues. Accurate preoperative prediction of difficult airway remains challenging using conventional clinical airway assessment tests alone. This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the role of ultrasound assessment of anterior neck soft tissue thickness in predicting difficult airway risk in overweight and obese adult patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia. Ultrasound-based anterior neck measurements will be compared with standard clinical airway assessment parameters to determine their diagnostic accuracy for difficult laryngoscopy and intubation. The results of this study may contribute to improved preoperative airway risk stratification and safer airway management in obese patients.

Federated Learning for Point-of-Care Cardiac Ultrasound

This prospective, multicenter study will evaluate a federated machine-learning system designed to analyze focused cardiac point-of-care ultrasound examinations. Federated learning allows participating clinical sites to contribute to model development while keeping raw ultrasound images and directly identifiable patient information within each site's controlled computing environment. Encrypted model updates, rather than patient images, will be transmitted for secure aggregation. The prospective validation cohort will include approximately 3,000 adults undergoing clinically indicated focused cardiac ultrasound. Model performance will be compared with an expert interpretation of a comprehensive transthoracic echocardiogram performed within 24 hours. The primary objective is to determine how accurately the model identifies reduced left ventricular systolic function, defined as a left ventricular ejection fraction below 40%. During the initial validation period, the investigational software will operate in silent mode. Its results will not be displayed to treating clinicians and will not be used to diagnose participants, select treatment, or replace standard clinical interpretation. The study will also evaluate image-quality classification, cardiac-view recognition, performance across clinical sites and ultrasound systems, model calibration, processing time, cybersecurity, privacy resilience, and performance across demographic and clinical subgroups. Long-term monitoring will assess whether model performance changes as clinical populations, ultrasound equipment, acquisition practices, and software environments evolve during the 2026-2037 study period.

Remote Guidance for eFAST Training Using a Head-Mounted Device

This study looks at the best way to remotely teach and guide doctors-in-training to perform a bedside ultrasound exam called eFAST (extended Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma), which is used to quickly check injured patients for internal bleeding or air around the lungs. The study takes place in a simulation setting, with no real patients. Resident physicians who have completed the basic ultrasound courses each watch the same short instructional video and then perform three eFAST examinations on the same healthy volunteer. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) the instructional video only, with no live help; (2) the video plus real-time audio guidance from a remote expert who can see the live ultrasound image; or (3) the video plus guidance through a head-mounted device that also lets the expert see the participant's own point of view. Afterwards, experts who were not involved in a given exam review the recorded ultrasound images, without knowing which group the participant was in, and rate the image quality and skill. The study also measures how long the exams take, the participants' workload, and the comfort and usability of the system. The goal is to learn whether real-time remote guidance, and in particular guidance through a head-mounted device, helps trainees produce better and faster eFAST examinations than an instructional video alone.

Comparison of Computertomography Scan, Electrical Impedance Tomography, and Ultrasound of the Lung in Infants

The study focuses on regional lung examination, in particular on the differentiation between collapsed and hyperinflated lung areas. The purpose of the study is to elaborate common and discriminative elements between different lung imaging modalities in infants and to generate hypotheses for the bedside use of EIT and LUS in infants.

Ultrasound Evaluation of Two Anatomic Landmarks in Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Section: the Posterior Superior Iliac Spine VS Iliac Crest

Intercristal line as palpation landmarks to identifying the vertebral level is frequently inaccurate.To find more safe and reliable body surface markers and convenient methods to be solved in clinical work.The investigators performed a two-stage study to evaluated the accuracy of intercristal line and the The Posterior Superior Iliac Spine (PSIS) line to identify the lumbar interspinous spaces for spinal anesthesia using ultrasonography in pregnant woman which will provide a second option.

The Impact of Ultrasound Measurements in Predicting Difficult Airway on Videolaryngoscopy Success

In this preoperative observational study, the effect of preoperative ultrasonographic measurements on the success of videolaryngoscopy in predicting difficult airways was investigated; furthermore, the aim was to determine new cut-off values that can predict difficult intubation in videolaryngoscope use. In our study, it was tested that the use of videolaryngoscope significantly increased the success of intubation in patients who were assessed as having difficult airways with upper airway ultrasound measurements.

ESWT in the Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has become widely preferred in Turkey and worldwide in recent years for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases due to its non-invasive nature, ease of application, and low risk of complications, as it does not require surgical intervention. However, there is no consensus in the literature regarding the energy level used in ESWT applications, the frequency of application, and especially the ideal number of sessions. Different centers apply varying protocols in clinical practice, which can lead to heterogeneity in treatment outcomes. Scientifically determining the effect of variation in the number of ESWT sessions on clinical outcomes is important for establishing standard treatment protocols. Therefore, the aim of our study is to contribute to the existing literature by investigating the effect of variation in the number of ESWT sessions on clinical parameters such as pain, functional status, and quality of life in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis, and to develop more effective and evidence-based treatment approaches in patient management.

Strategies to Decentralize Breast Ultrasound in Rwanda

Diagnosing breast cancer early is critical to reduce preventable breast cancer deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. This can be done in part through increasing patients' access to breast ultrasound, which is essential for evaluating breast masses. However, ultrasound is typically provided only by radiologists at urban referral hospitals. Training clinicians at rural district hospitals who are not radiologists could increase patients' access to breast ultrasound, but strategies to support and supervise these clinicians and ensure they are providing high-quality ultrasound services has not been studied. This project will examine the effectiveness and cost of two strategies for training non-radiologist clinicians to perform breast ultrasound in Rwandan district hospitals.

Low-Flow Anesthesia and Perioperative Atelectasis in Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether low-flow anesthesia reduces perioperative atelectasis compared to normal-flow anesthesia in adults undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does low-flow anesthesia result in a smaller increase in lung ultrasound score from baseline to postoperative hour 1? Does low-flow anesthesia result in better preservation of pulmonary function at postoperative hour 48? Researchers will compare low-flow anesthesia (fresh gas flow 0.5 L/min) to normal-flow anesthesia (fresh gas flow 2 L/min) to see if low-flow anesthesia reduces the extent of perioperative atelectasis as measured by lung ultrasound. Participants will: Be randomly assigned to receive either low-flow or normal-flow inhalational anesthesia with sevoflurane during surgery Undergo lung ultrasound assessments before surgery and at postoperative hours 1 and 24 Undergo spirometric testing one day before surgery and at postoperative hour 48

Ultrasound and Respiratory Physiological Signals in Lung Diseases

The use of lung ultrasound is instrumental in the evaluation of many chest pathologies and its ability to detect pleuro-pulmonary pathology is widely accepted. However, the use of ultrasound to explore the state of the peripheral lung parenchyma, when the organ is still aerated, is a relatively new application. Horizontal and vertical artifacts are separate and distinct artifacts that can be seen during ultrasound examination of the lungs. While the practical role of lung ultrasound artifacts is accepted to detect and monitor many conditions, further research is needed for the physical interpretation of ultrasound artifacts. These artifacts are diagnostic signs, but we don't fully understand their origin. The artifactual information deriving from the surface acoustic interaction, beyond the pleural line, in the ultrasound images of the normally aerated and non-deflated lung, represents the final result of complex interactions of acoustic waves with a specific three-dimensional structure of the biological tissue. Thus, the umbrella term "vertical artifacts" oversimplifies many physical phenomena associated with a pathological pleural plane. There is growing evidence that vertical artifacts are caused by physiological and pathological changes in the superficial lung parenchyma. Therefore, the need emerges to explore the physical phenomena underlying the artifactual ultrasound information deriving from the surface acoustic interaction of ultrasound with the pleuro-pulmonary structures.

Ultrasound-Guided Long vs Short Peripheral IV Catheters in Neonates With Congenital Syphilis Receiving Antibiotics

Congenital syphilis in newborns requires intravenous antibiotic therapy, making reliable peripheral venous access essential. However, high rates of catheter failure and repeated punctures remain a significant clinical challenge. This randomized, controlled, parallel clinical trial aims to compare ultrasound-guided long peripheral intravenous catheters inserted by a specialized vascular access team with conventional short peripheral catheters inserted by neonatal nurses. A total of 104 newborns with congenital syphilis receiving intravenous penicillin will be randomly assigned to either group. The primary outcome is functional dwell time. Secondary outcomes include catheter failure, number of insertion attempts, first-attempt success, complications, and total number of devices required. The study hypothesizes that ultrasound-guided long peripheral catheters will improve vascular access outcomes, reduce complications, and minimize the need for repeated punctures.

Ultrasound Prediction of Esophageal Variceal Bleeding Risk

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the accuracy of using routine abdominal ultrasound to predict the risk of esophageal variceal bleeding in adult patients with liver cirrhosis. Esophageal variceal bleeding is a serious complication of chronic liver disease. While upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is the current standard for diagnosing and grading these varices, it is an invasive procedure. In this study, researchers will use ultrasound to measure the patient's spleen size and portal vein diameter. These non-invasive measurements will then be compared to the results of a standard upper endoscopy performed within 48 to 72 hours. The goal is to determine if these simple ultrasound measurements can reliably predict the presence, grade, and bleeding risk of esophageal varices, which could potentially reduce the need for routine invasive endoscopic screenings in the future.

Development of Continuous Assessment of Frailty and Muscle Quality in Older Subjects: ECOFRAIL Protocol

We are conducting a study in different centers in Spain in elderly people, in order to assess the effectiveness of a physical exercise intervention program in people in a situation of frailty. Frailty in an elderly person is a situation in which, although there are no major differences in their usual abilities, the person presents a certain decrease in their capacities. This slight decrease is usually accompanied by a progressive deterioration.

COOLEY- Study: aCute On chrOnic Liver failurE Using the cYtosorb Device

A Prospective, Single-Center trial, in Patients With Acute on Chronic Liver Failure. Study of Standard Medical Care Plus CytoSorb® Compared to Standard Medical Care Alone in a historical group.

Ultrasound-Guided Esophageal Compression During Adult Mask Ventilation

A total of 103 elective surgery patients who met the inclusion criteria were selected. After screening for eligibility according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and signing informed consent, they were randomly divided into two groups. Upon entering the operating room, routine ECG monitoring was initiated, and a peripheral vein was opened. Ultrasound was used to measure the baseline cross-sectional area (CSA) of the gastric antrum in the supine position. After general anesthesia induction, positive pressure ventilation was applied via face mask. Group A received no external compression, while Group B underwent esophageal compression under ultrasound guidance.

Comparison of Two Airway Devices (I-Gel and Air-Q) in Children Aged 1-10 Years During General Anesthesia

This study aims to compare two commonly used airway devices (I-gel and Air-Q) in children aged 1-10 years undergoing general anesthesia for surgery. These devices help doctors keep the airway open and support breathing during the operation. The study will evaluate how well each device works, how easy they are to place, and whether they cause air to enter the stomach. Ultrasound will be used to safely check the position of the device and detect any air in the stomach. The results of this study may help improve the safety and effectiveness of airway management in children during anesthesia.

IDUS in CBD Stone Recurrence High Risk Patients

This study is designed to observed CBD stones cases with high recurrence risks applying IDUS or not during ERCP. Patients with CBD stone high recurrence risks were enrolled in this study, and prospectively randomized into IUDS group and control group during lithotomy. Operation time, radiation time, hospitalization cost, retain of nasobiliary tube, deployment of stent were recorded. Symptoms and conditions after ERCP were also followed up including blood amylase, routine blood test, abdominal pain, post-ERCP pancreatitis, resection of gallbladder, recurrence of CBD stone and onset of cholangitis.

Effect of Internal Jugular Vein Catheterization on Intracranial Pressure and Intracranial Blood Flow

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the effect of internal jugular vein catheterization on intracranial pressure using optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurements and carotid artery Doppler ultrasonography in adult patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia. ONSD will be measured noninvasively using transorbital ultrasonography, and carotid Doppler parameters will be assessed at two time points: after endotracheal intubation and approximately 5 minutes after catheterization. The primary objective is to assess short-term changes in ONSD following catheterization. Secondary objectives include evaluating changes in carotid Doppler measurements and their relationship with ONSD, as well as associations with physiological parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and end-tidal carbon dioxide.

Ultrasonography vs Intraoperative Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Gall Stone Disease

This research is designed to correlate between intraoperative status of gallstone disease patients with their USG findings. The key question it aims to answer is: Does the ultrasonography predict laparoscopic cholecystectomy will be difficult?Further analysis will aim to reveal: 1. Are there any specific parameters of ultrasonography that immediately concern the operating surgeon? 2. Should surgeons depend on the ultrasonography reports to counsel the patients differently?