Tests shockwave therapy for high blood pressure in chronic kidney disease
Tests low-intensity shockwave treatment on kidneys of adults with kidney disease and high blood pressure.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Menno Pruijm
- Where
- Lausanne, SwitzerlandSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Nephrospec Switzerland
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 30 people, planned
- Started
- 19 Feb 2024
- Expected to end
- 30 Jun 2029
- Type of study
- Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- NephrospecTM, low-intensity extracorporal shockwave therapy device
- Sham-Device
- Record updated
- 23 January 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults with high blood pressure and moderate to severe chronic kidney disease. It tests shockwave treatment of the kidneys against a sham treatment.
- Age
- 18 years to 82 years.
- Sex
- All sexes can join.
- Disease stage
- High blood pressure (systolic blood pressure ≥135 mmHg) and kidney disease with eGFR 20-70 mL/min/1.73m2, or eGFR 60-90 mL/min/1.73m2 with albuminuria (protein in the urine) >=30mg/mmol in spot urine or >=300mg/day in 24h urine.
- Earlier treatment
- Must be on stable medical therapy (no relevant medication change for over 60 days, or for 30 days if there were no previous changes 90 days before). Cannot have had immunosuppression in the last 3 months or a renal artery stent or other kidney artery procedure.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Systolic blood pressure over 180mmHg on stable treatment
- eGFR below 20 ml/min/1.73m², dialysis or a kidney transplant
- Kidney stones, polycystic kidney disease or active pyelonephritis
- Heart attack, stroke or heart failure hospital stay in the last 6 months
- Pregnant, breast feeding or planning to become pregnant
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 27 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Age: 18 years to 82 years
- Patient is diagnosed with Hypertension, i.e. home,office and/or 24h systolic blood pressure ≥135 mmHg (as per ISH guidelines, 2020), currently on stable (over 60 days) medical therapy as prescribed by a physician, of none, one, or more antihypertensive medication classes. Patients will be considered stable if no relevant medication change for over 60 days or for 30 days if there were no previous changes 90 days before the current change
- Patients diagnosed with moderate to severe chronic renal failure (eGFR 20-70 mL/min/1.73m2) who are currently on stable medical therapy as prescribed by a physician
- Patients with eGFR between 60-90 ml/min/1.73m2 and albuminuria >=30mg/mmol in spot urine or >=300mg/day in 24h urine collection
- Patient is able and willing to comply with the required follow-up schedule
- Patient is capable of giving an informed consent
Who cannot take part
- Hypertension: Individual's systolic BP is over 180mmHg when receiving stable medical medication regimen as prescribed by a physician, of none, one, or more antihypertensive medication classes at maximally tolerated dose. Hypertension secondary to an identifiable and treatable cause, other than Renal artery stenosis or CKD, or is prescribed a medication that may raise BP
- History of previous renal artery stent. Stent or other intervention involving renal arteries including but not limited to renal denervation procedures
- Treatment non compatible with the study: Patients that have been treated with immunosuppression in the last 3 months. Individual requires chronic oxygen support or mechanical ventilation other than nocturnal respiratory support for sleep apnea. No change in dosing of RAS inhibitors in the month prior to the procedure is required
- Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse
- Participation in another investigation with an investigational drug or another MD within the 30 days preceding and during the present investigation,
- Previous enrolment into the current investigation,
- Active Cancer - primary tumor or metastatic, such as liver, renal, testicular, abdominal tumor or local tumor at treatment area
- Technical impossibility to participate: Local infection of the skin at the area to be in contact with the applicator
- Known allergy to Sonovue® contrast product (hypersensibility to sulfur hexyfluoride or another component)
- No other contraindication to SonoVue, ie. patients with right-to-left shunts, severe pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary arterial pressure > 90 mm Hg), uncontrolled systemic hypertension and in adult patients with respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Inability to follow the procedures of the investigation, e.g. due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia, etc. of the subject/ Unable to obtain consent
- Kidney conditions non compatible with the study: Patient has an eGFR <20 ml/min/1.73m², is on Dialysis or has had a kidney transplant performed. Active pyelonephritis. History of or current kidney stones. Patients with polycystic kidney disease or a known complicated renal cyst (Bosniak III or higher)
- Hemoglobin (Hb) ≤ 9 grams per deciliter (blood)
- Coagulation issues: Bleeding tendency resulting from hematologic disease. Subjects having INR > 2.5 and PT, PTT and platelet count which deviates from the clinical laboratory normal reference range
- Diseases non compatible with the study: Recent (less than 6 months) history of myocardial infarction, PCI, stroke or hospitalization for HFrEF (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction). Individual has type 1 diabetes mellitus or poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (HbA1c > 10%)
- Symptomatic patients (Macrohematuria) with a decrease of over 2 grams in Hb
- Contraindication to undergo MR-imaging such as the presence of a pacemaker or other implanted metallic device or severe claustrophobia
- Individual works night shifts
- Individual is pregnant, breast feeding or planning to become pregnant
- Individual does not want to be informed in case of accidental finding related to individual's health discovered during imaging or other study-related exams
- Enrolment of the PI, his/her family members, employees, and other dependent persons
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 82 years old?
Where in Switzerland
- Department of Nephrology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire VaudoisLausanne, SwitzerlandContact: Menno Pruijm, DrTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This is a randomized, double-blind sham-controlled monocentric trial. 30 patients that are diagnosed with hypertension and with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease are included in this trial. 20 of them are randomized into the active treatment arm, 10 into the sham arm. Low-intensity extracorporal shock wave (Li-ESWT) sessions (arm1) or sham sessions (arm2), will be administered with a dedicated probe within three consecutive weeks to the kidneys of patients.The study will add data to the effects of the shock wave treatment on blood pressure and will assess whether this treatment improves renal function, perfusion and oxygenation. The study includes a third arm (arm3) in which treatment sessions are administered to patients that were in the placebo group in the first phase of the study (arm2).
The 3 groups in the trial
- Stage A - Active treatmentExisting treatment, for comparison
The medical device NephrospecTM is used to administer 6 treatments of Low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (Li-ESWT) to the kidneys during 3 weeks.
Treatment: NephrospecTM, low-intensity extracorporal shockwave therapy device
- Stage A - Sham treatmentSham treatment, for comparison
The sham group will undergo the same treatment schedule, but with an applicator with an internal barrier to prevent shockwaves to pass through to the patient.
Treatment: Sham-Device
- Stage B - Open label active treatmentExisting treatment, for comparison
Patients that were in the placebo group of stage A and do not exhibit a significant improvement in one of the main parameters will be eligible to enter stage B where they are treated with the active device in an open-label fashion.
Treatment: NephrospecTM, low-intensity extracorporal shockwave therapy device
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Low-intensity Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy With the Nephrospec TM Device for the Treatment of Hypertension in Patients Diagnosed With Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) : a Randomized, Double-blind Sham-controlled Monocentric Trial
- Plain-language title
- Tests shockwave therapy for high blood pressure in chronic kidney diseaseGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT06194591, who can take part
- Record updated
- 23 January 2026