N/A
N=127
Early Percutaneous Cryoablation for Pain Control After Rib Fractures Among Elderly Patients
Rib Fractures
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04482582 ↗Enrolled (actual)
127
Serious AEs
21.8%
Results posted
Mar 2026
Primary outcome: Primary: Acute Pain Assessed by Numeric Pain Score — 5.61; 5.93 score on a scale — p=0.493
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Cryoneurolysis (Radiation); Standard of Care (Other)
- Age
- Older Adult · 65+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- Stanford University
- Primary completion
- Apr 2024
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Acute Pain Assessed by Numeric Pain Score |
5.61; 5.93 | 0.493 |
| SECONDARY 30-day Mortality |
0; 0 | — |
| SECONDARY Number of Participants Requiring ICU Admission |
6; 6 | 0.947 |
| SECONDARY Length of Hospital Stay |
4; 5.5 | 0.77 |
| SECONDARY Use of Narcotic Equivalents |
24.11; 15.00; 0; 0; 0; 0 | 0.285 |
| SECONDARY Number of Participants With a Rib-specific Readmission Within 30 Days of Discharge |
0; 1 | 0.293 |
| SECONDARY The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and Pain Rating Index (PRI) Scale Score |
2.72; 1.73; 4.64; 1.50; 1.15; 0.41 | 0.042 sig |
| SECONDARY The Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOS-E) Score |
2; 0; 13; 17; 3; 1 | 0.698 |
| SECONDARY Short Form (SF-12) Health Survey Scale Score |
32.93; 29.89; 55.14; 55.65; 51.38; 47.96 | 0.962 |
Summary
The purpose of this study is to provide long-term pain control for elderly patients with rib fractures in order to minimize their risk of complications and return them to baseline functional capacity
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion criteria
i) Patients greater than 65 years with any acute rib fracture
ii) Pain score equal to or greater than 5 with deep inspiration.
iii) Presenting and admitted to Stanford Emergency Department
Exclusion criteria
i) Radiographic evidence of metastasis to ribs
ii) Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score 1.5, Pat < 100)
vi) Other factors precluding cryoablation at IR attending's discretion
vii) If only ribs broken are 1,2 or 10,11, 12
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04482582). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.