# Clinical Trial for Surgery of the Ulnar Nerve (SUN) at the Elbow

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $670,585

## Abstract

Ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE) is a common compressive neuropathy that if left untreated can lead to
disability and job loss. Conservative treatment fails in 60% of cases and most patients require surgery. The two
most common surgical procedures are in-situ (simple) decompression and subcutaneous anterior
transposition. Several studies comparing the two procedures, including underpowered randomized controlled
trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses, have been unable to detect a difference in outcomes. Determining the best
surgery for individual patients is imperative because revision surgery for failed UNE release is often ineffective.
Currently, the choice of procedure type is often based on physician training and preferences owing to the lack
of evidence-based guidelines for UNE surgery.
This proposed study is a double-blind RCT with 10 clinical sites. Subjects diagnosed with UNE will be
randomized to in-situ decompression or subcutaneous anterior transposition and followed for one year. This
trial is novel because subjects will be blinded regarding their surgery and the researchers performing the
functional assessments will also be blinded to yield the most objective assessment of outcomes. The specific
aims of the study are to compare outcomes between the two procedures using functional and validated patient-
reported outcomes, recovery trends, and complications. Our ultimate goal is to develop an evidence-based
treatment algorithm to determine the best procedure for individual patients with unique disease severity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10023158
- **Project number:** 5U01AR073485-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** KEVIN C CHUNG
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $670,585
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-25 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10023158

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10023158, Clinical Trial for Surgery of the Ulnar Nerve (SUN) at the Elbow (5U01AR073485-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10023158. Licensed CC0.

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