Arthrocentesis vs Observation Study for Acute ACL Tears
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear
De qué trata este estudio
El registro indica que este estudio recluta participantes. La disponibilidad puede variar por centro.
- Tipo de estudio
- De intervención
- Fase
- No aplica
- Rango de edad
- 15 años - 40 años
- Sexo admitido
- Todos los sexos
- Voluntarios sanos
- No aceptados
- Participantes
- 54 Estimado
Estos son puntos de partida, no una decisión de elegibilidad. El equipo debe revisar todos los requisitos.
Las explicaciones y la navegación están en español. Los textos proporcionados por el registro, incluidos títulos, resúmenes y criterios, se conservan en su idioma original. Puedes pedir orientación en español a WCR.
Acerca de la investigación
The ASPIRATE trial is a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of pre- and post-operative knee joint aspiration in patients with an ACL injury. The study aims to determine if removing knee joint fluid can mitigate the increasing inflammation after surgery, reduce quadriceps atrophy, improve short-term pain, enhance functional recovery, and lower long-term rates of post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis.
Leer la descripción completa
While Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) successfully restores joint stability, patients still face challenges regarding long-term osteoarthritis and lower rates of returning to sports. Traumatic hemarthrosis-the buildup of blood in the joint following an injury and surgery-acts as a toxic agent that triggers cartilage degeneration. Furthermore, it causes arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI), which leads to quadriceps muscle shrinkage and abnormal walking patterns. This cycle is often referred to as the "second-hit phenomenon". While draining fluid from the knee (arthrocentesis) before surgery is common, performing repeat drainages after surgery to remove built-up blood is experimental. This study evaluates whether this low-cost, widely available procedure can safely interrupt that destructive cycle.
The main objective of this trial is to intervene in the hemarthrosis process to prevent or reduce the incidence of AMI and cartilage breakdown through pre- and post-operative joint drainage. Secondary objectives include assessing whether the procedure leads to less quadriceps muscle shrinkage, improves short-term pain, enhances leg strength at 3 and 6 months, accelerates return-to-sport rates, and reduces joint wear at a 1-year follow-up.
Eligible participants include individuals aged 15 to 40 years who experienced their injury 30 days or less prior, have a confirmed ACL tear, and have chosen to undergo ACLR using either a quadriceps tendon or bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft. Key exclusion criteria include previous knee or ACL surgery on the same leg, a cortisone injection within the previous 3 months, major multi-ligament repairs done at the same time (such as the MCL, PCL, or PLC), advanced osteoarthritis, pregnancy, or an inability to speak English fluently.
All participants will undergo standard ACLR surgery using their own tissue graft. Clinical assessments are conducted from baseline through 1 year, tracking patient surveys on knee pain, activity levels, and psychological readiness at baseline, 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. Physical and imaging steps include measuring thigh circumference with a tape measure at every visit, performing leg strength tests on a special machine at 3 and 6 months, and taking standing knee X-rays with a specialized framing device at the 1-year mark to evaluate joint health.
¿Quién podría participar?
La lista siguiente contiene el texto del patrocinador. Puede incluir condiciones, tratamientos previos, resultados de pruebas y otros requisitos. Aparecer en tu búsqueda no significa que califiques.
Inclusion Criteria:
1. Age 15 -40
2. Time from injury to aspiration ≤30 days
3. Patient with a confirmed ACL tear and have elected to have an ACL reconstruction using a quadriceps tendon (QT) or bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft tendon
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Fear of needles or rejection of arthrocentesis
2. Previous knee or ACL surgery on the affected knee
3. Previous cortisone injection in the affected knee within the previous 3 months
4. Concomitant procedures that involve repair or reconstruction of the medial collateral ligament (MCL), posterolateral corner (PLC) or posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (PCL)
5. Osteoarthritis Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥3.
6. Cartilage procedures beyond microfracture or chondroplasty
7. Planned osteotomies or meniscus allograft transplantation (MAT)
8. Muscular, vascular or neurological diseases that influence rehabilitation or surgery
9. Current use of prednisone or cytostatic medication
10. Obesity with a BMI ≥45
11. Daily smoking
12. History of illicit drug or alcohol abuse
13. History of prior infection in knee
14. History of chemotherapy treatment
15. History of sickle cell disease
16. Pregnancy during injury or surgery
17. No mastery of the English language
Tratamiento, grupos y participación
El registro puede describir tratamientos y duración sin incluir un calendario completo. Pide al equipo las visitas, procedimientos, riesgos, costos y alternativas. Mantén tu atención habitual salvo que tu médico te indique un cambio.
- Asignación
- Asignación al azar
- Enmascaramiento
- Sin enmascaramiento
Aspiration
Each subject that is randomized to this arm will receive a knee aspiration both before and after ACL surgery.
Procedure: Knee Aspiration
No Aspiration
Each subject that is randomized to this arm will not receive an intervention and will only complete questionnaires.
Knee Aspiration PROCEDURE
Aspiration is a minimally invasive medical procedure in which a sterile needle and syringe are inserted into the intra-articular space of the knee joint to extract excess synovial fluid that is built up around the knee space.
Qué evalúan los investigadores
Estas medidas indican qué se estudia. No prueban que un tratamiento funcione.
Medidas principales
Quadriceps peak strength
Plazo: 3 months and 6 months
The Biodex measurement physical device will be used to measure the isokinetic strength of the quadriceps muscle. The leg is brought from flexion to extension at 60 degrees per second and 300 degrees per second and the maximum force is measured for the quadriceps. This is compared to the contralateral side and expressed in the limb symmetry index (LSI) as the percentage of strength compared to the contralateral side. This is expressed N/m
Medidas secundarias
Quadriceps atrophy
Plazo: 3 and 6 Months
The quadriceps circumference of the affected leg is measured in centimeters at 6 and 16 centimeters above the superior pole of the patella and compared to the contralateral side.
Short-term Pain
Plazo: 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year
The overall pain in the knee is assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) questionnaire that is standardized, and this is compared to the preoperative baseline score. The score ranges from 0 to 10 with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating worst pain imaginable
Patient-reported outcome measures
Plazo: 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year
The questionnaire subjective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) will be obtained. The score ranges from 0 to 100 with 100 having a normal score and 0 an abnormal score.
Lysholm Score
Plazo: 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year
The questionnaire Lysholm Score will be obtained. The score ranges from 0 to 100 with 100 having a normal score and 0 an abnormal score.
Forgotten Joint Score
Plazo: 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year
The questionnaire Forgotten Joint Score will be obtained. The score ranges from 0 to 100 with 100 having a normal score and 0 an abnormal score.
Tegner activity score
Plazo: 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year
The questionnaire Tegner activity score will be obtained. The score ranges from 0 to 100 with 100 having a normal score and 0 an abnormal score.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI)
Plazo: 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year
The questionnaire Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) will be obtained. The score ranges from 0 to 100 with 100 having a normal score and 0 an abnormal score.
Return to Sports
Plazo: 3 months, 6 months and 1 year.
Return to sports will be assessed using questionnaires: when they return to sports (months after surgery), if they have reached preinjury level of performance (yes/no) and whether they are fully return to previous level (yes/no).
Joint space narrowing on radiographs
Plazo: 1 year
Osteoarthritic changes at AP and Rosenberg views at 1 year of the medial and lateral compartment compared to preoperative radiographs measured in absolute millimeters at the narrowest area of the respective compartments
Osteoarthritis grade on radiographs
Plazo: 1 year
Osteoarthritic changes at AP and Rosenberg views at 1 year of the medial and lateral compartment compared to preoperative radiographs measured as Kellgren-Lawrence scale (scale from 0 to 4 with 0 indicating no signs of osteoarthritis and 4 indicating end-stage bone-on-bone osteoarthritis)
Revisa las tablas completas y sus limitaciones en el registro oficial.
Abrir resultados oficiales ↗Centros de investigación (2)
El estado general puede diferir del estado de un centro. Confirma la disponibilidad antes de trasladarte.
2 centros
Jameson Crane Sports Medicine InstituteColumbus, Ohio, United StatesReclutando
Ohio State Outpatient Care DublinDublin, Ohio, United StatesReclutando
Equipo y fechas
- Patrocinador principal
- Ohio State University
- Inicio del estudio
- 1 ago 2026 Real
- Finalización primaria
- 31 dic 2028 Estimado
- Finalización del estudio
- 31 dic 2029 Estimado
- Primera publicación
- 10 nov 2026 Real
- Última actualización
- 10 nov 2026 Real
Contactos oficiales del estudio
Título oficial del estudio
Arthrocentesis Study for Perioperative Intervention on Reducing Arthritis and Trauma-related Effects
Consulta a Wellness Clinical Research
Tu mensaje va a WCR, incluso si otra organización realiza este estudio. WCR puede orientarte, pero podría no realizar este estudio, tener acceso a su equipo ni poder inscribirte.
Fuente: API v2 de ClinicalTrials.gov. Patrocinadores e investigadores envían la información. La NLM no aprueba la seguridad ni la ciencia de todos los estudios registrados. Aviso del registro.
Consultado: 12 nov 2026 · Última actualización del registro: 10 nov 2026
