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Completed Not applicable Interventional

Platysma Incision Cosmesis

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03338608

Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03338608. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.

ClinicalTrials.gov public records Last synced Sep 7, 2026, 1:54 AM EDT

Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.

Official title

Influence of Platysmal Incision on Cosmetic Satisfaction Outcomes in Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery Patients

Brief summary

Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.

The anterior cervical fusion and decompression (ACDF) surgery provides direct access to symptomatic areas of the cervical spine. Cosmesis, including factors like wound healing, is an important issue for patients who undergo surgery on anterior neck structures. One significant factor that impacts cosmetic healing in patients who undergo the ACDF surgery is whether a vertical or transverse incision of the platysma muscle in the neck was used to access the cervical spine. The purpose of the present study is to compare cosmetic outcomes in vertical versus transverse platysmal incisions for anterior cervical spine exposures. Researchers intend to analyze this effect with a prospective comparative study model. A targeted number of 100 patients who undergo anterior cervical surgery, as part of their standard of care, will be randomized to receive either a transverse or vertical platysmal incision during the exposure part of their procedure. Informed consent for inclusion in the study, as approved by the Institutional Review Board, will be obtained from all patients in addition to consent for the surgical procedure. Regardless of the platysmal incision, all patients will receive a standard transverse skin incision, as is done routinely in anterior cervical exposures. After the surgery, all closures will be done in a standard manner. These patients will be followed up in the clinic at two weeks, three months, six months, and one year. They will be evaluated for wound healing and incision cosmesis using a modification of The Hollander Wound Evaluation Scale. Clinical photographs of the patients' necks will be captured during these visits in a manner that does not reveal any patient identifiers in any way. The incisions and overall cosmesis will be graded using the scale mentioned above. The data will be analyzed to determine if a transverse platysmal incision offers better cosmetic results than a vertical platysmal incision, or vice versa, and will also be used to validate the modified wound evaluation scale.

Study identification

NCT ID
NCT03338608
Recruitment status
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Not applicable
Lead sponsor
Boston Medical Center
Other
Enrollment
22 participants

Conditions and interventions

Eligibility (public fields only)

Age range
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
Healthy volunteers
Healthy volunteers not accepted

This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.

Study timeline

Start date
Nov 25, 2018
Primary completion
Sep 14, 2019
Completion
Sep 14, 2019
Last update posted
Jul 6, 2020

2018 – 2019

United States locations

U.S. sites
1
U.S. states
1
U.S. cities
1
Facility City State ZIP Site status
Boston Medical Center Boston Massachusetts 02118

Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.

About this trial record page

What this page shows
Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03338608, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
What this page does not do
No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
Where the data comes from
Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
Last refresh
Last update posted Jul 6, 2020 · Synced Sep 7, 2026

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Open the official record

The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT03338608 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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