WAVE
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A prospective randomised trial comparing radiofrequency ablation With laparoscopic Adrenalectomy as an alternatiVE treatment for unilateral asymmetric primary aldosteronism
IRAS ID
304174
Contact name
Morris Jonathan Brown
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN11531672
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
not applicable, not applicable
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
High blood pressure (hypertension) causes strokes and heart attacks. In about one in 20 people with hypertension, it is caused by a benign nodule in one of the hormone glands, the adrenals,that makes too much of a hormone called aldosterone. Surgery to remove the whole adrenal gland can cure this condition and mean patients take fewer or even no medications.Another way of treating these nodules is by heating them up and destroying them. In this technique (called radiofrequency ablation) a needle is passed into the nodule and the tip heated to a very high temperature. Like surgery, this is done when the patient is asleep (general anaesthesia) but they can go home much sooner. Radiofrequency ablation is already used to treat nodules in the liver, kidneys and bone.In this study, patients will be treated with either surgery or radiofrequency ablation. We will compare hormone levels and blood-pressure six-twelve months after the procedure. These measurements will tell us whether radiofrequency ablation is as good as surgery at curing primary aldosteronism and hypertension. If so, hundreds of thousands of patients will have access to an alternative to surgery that is effective, preferable, and more widely available.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0243
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion