NCT07371754Not yet recruiting
Shear Wave Elastography of Intercostal Muscles for the Non-invasive Assessment of the Work of BreathinG
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 28 Jan 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Quantifying respiratory effort is a key step in physiological and clinical research on exercise tolerance, mechanisms of fatigability, and ventilatory impairment. To date, reliable assessment relies on an invasive method: esophageal pressure (Pes) measurement using a balloon catheter inserted into the esophagus. Although Pes provides an indirect estimate of pleural and intrathoracic pressure, it is uncomfortable for patients, requires dedicated equipment, and may limit study participation. In critically ill patients, a noninvasive approach to quantify respiratory effort would have major clinical and scientific value. In acute respiratory distress, accurately tracking the intensity and evolution of respiratory effort could support earlier therapeutic decision-making. Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) is an ultrasound technology enabling very high acquisition rates and estimating tissue stiffness from shear-wave propagation induced by an acoustic impulse. Because muscle stiffness is strongly related to force produced during contraction, we hypothesize that intercostal muscle stiffness measured by SWE correlates with respiratory work and increases with rising inspiratory load.
- Status (registry)
- Not yet recruiting
- Study type
- Observational
- Enrollment
- 20 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 19 Jan 2026
- Start date
- 1 Mar 2026
- Primary completion date
- 1 Mar 2027
- Lead sponsor
- Groupe Hospitalier du Havre
- Diseases
- COPD
- NCT number
- NCT07371754
What you commit to
- Study type: Observational
- Planned participants: 20
- From 1 Mar 2026 to the primary completion date, 1 Mar 2027
- No sites listed in no country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Recent thoracic or abdominal surgery (\< 3 months).
- Oxygen therapy \> 2 L/min during exertion.
Other illness
- Inability to understand instructions or cooperate (cognitive impairment, language barrier).
- Neurological condition affecting breathing (e.g., recent stroke, ALS, myopathy).
- Thoracic condition limiting access to the intercostal muscles (e.g., major chest wall deformity, surgical scar).
- Known esophageal disease (stricture, achalasia, severe esophagitis, diverticulum, history of perforation).
- Swallowing disorders or risk of aspiration.
Age
- Age \< 18 years.
Other
- Refusal to participate or withdrawal of consent.
- BMI \> 35 kg/m².
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- ENT or tracheal abnormality preventing probe insertion (e.g., tumor, malformation, tracheostomy).
- Recent exacerbation (\< 6 weeks).
- Hemodynamic instability.
- Not affiliated with a social security scheme.
- Legally protected persons (as defined by law).
Who the study is looking for
- Adult patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stage 3-4.
- Healthy adult volunteer.
Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.