ASPECT Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The ASsessment and Physiotherapy managEment of ataxia in Children following surgical resection of posterior fossa Tumour
IRAS ID
227917
Contact name
Helen Hartley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Alder Hey Childrens NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Up to 70% of children with a tumour at the back of the brain (posterior fossa tumour) will have balance and coordination problems (known as ataxia), which have a direct and significant effect on physical development, and participation in every day life. Physiotherapy is the mainstay of treatment, however, physical interventions are not well described and their effectiveness is not clearly understood.
The overall aim of the project is to identify appropriate scales to measure ataxia in children with posterior fossa tumours, and determine the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial (RCT) about the effectiveness of active video gaming (virtual training) in these children. Active video gaming offers a means of boosting home-based practice time and shows promise as a therapeutic tool for children with neurological conditions but it has not yet been specifically researched in children with posterior fossa tumours.
A series of work packages inform the planning and completion of the feasibility RCT. The first two work packages have research ethics approval and are underway. This IRAS application relates to the remaining two work packages (WP3 and WP4):
WP3 - A series of workshops with patients, families and clinical experts will be held to ensure the active video gaming planned for the trial is engaging, interesting and practical for home use and hospital based training.
WP4 - The feasibility RCT: children with ataxia from two children's hospitals who have previously had surgery for a brain tumour will be randomly allocated to an 8 week programme of either usual care (standard physiotherapy) or active video gaming plus usual care. Key feasibility indicators will be measured e.g. compliance, drop out, in addition to measures of ataxia, balance, functional ability and quality of life. The child's/families' opinions of the training programme will be also explored.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0649
Date of REC Opinion
22 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion