Personalized surgery options for kids with sleep apnea and small tonsils
Official title: A Personalized Surgical Approach for the Treatment of Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Small Tonsils
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11417824 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This compares a personalized, sleep-endoscopy–guided surgical plan with the standard tonsil-and-adenoid removal for children with obstructive sleep apnea and small tonsils.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $429,688 |
| NIH project number | 4R33HL162771-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11417824 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children age 2–18 diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea who have small tonsils on clinical exam and whose clinicians are considering surgery.
✕Less likely to help
Children with clearly enlarged tonsils, medical conditions that make surgery unsafe, or OSA primarily driven by obesity or other non-anatomic causes may not benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
If your child joins, they would be randomly assigned to either a personalized surgical plan guided by drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) or to the usual tonsil-and-adenoid removal (adenotonsillectomy). DISE is a short procedure in which the surgeon watches where the airway narrows while the child is sedated and then uses that information to target surgery. The trial enrolls children ages 2–18 who have OSA but appear to have small tonsils on exam, and follows breathing during sleep, daytime symptoms, and quality of life after surgery. The team will compare which approach gives better sleep and daily functioning while avoiding unnecessary procedures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to better-targeted surgeries that improve sleep and behavior while avoiding unnecessary tonsil removals.
How similar studies have gone: DISE has helped guide surgery in adults and some pediatric case series show promise, but a randomized trial in children with small tonsils is new.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lam, Derek J — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Lam, Derek J
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.