MR guided radiotherapy for ventricular arrhythmias
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy to the stellate ganglia for ventricular arrhythmia
IRAS ID
327283
Contact name
Neil Herring
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford / Research Governance, Ethics and Assurance
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Life threatening heart rhythms are often triggered by groups of nerves that speed up the heart. For patients at high risk of these dangerous rhythms implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) can prevent death by terminating such rhythms, however they cannot prevent them from occurring in the first place. Despite all currently available medical therapy many patients experience recurrent dangerous rhythms and recurrent ICD shocks, leading to worse outcomes and significant impact on quality of life. Surgically removing the nerves that trigger these dangerous rhythms is a proven treatment for such patients. However the risk of complications from such a surgery is high. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided radiotherapy has improved the precision and accuracy of radiation treatment for cancer to submillimetre levels . This new technology offers the ability to precisely target and modify the nerves going to the heart in a step wise manner without the risk of complications associated with surgery. This could potentially revolutionise treatment for patients who suffer from recurrent dangerous heart rhythms. We propose a study to establish the feasibility and safety of this approach.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0005
Date of REC Opinion
2 Feb 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion