Tongue movement tests to predict airway blockage during sleep in children
Tongue Motor Functions Assessment as a Screening Tool for Obstructive Sleep Disordered Breathing in Children
This project will test whether simple tongue movement tests can predict where and how much a child's airway closes during sleep for children with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing who are scheduled for tonsil or adenoid removal.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 48 (estimated) |
| Ages | 6 Years to 17 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Université Catholique de Louvain Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Brussels) |
| Trial ID | NCT06792045 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This observational study enrolls children aged 6–17 with diagnosed obstructive sleep-disordered breathing who are scheduled for tonsil and/or adenoid removal. At a pre-surgical visit a physiotherapist will perform standardized tongue motor function tests and ENT clinicians will perform routine assessments. Participants will undergo drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) prior to surgery to directly visualize the site and degree of airway obstruction. Researchers will compare tongue motor measurements with DISE findings to see if tongue function predicts tongue-base obstruction.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Children aged 6–17 with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing who are eligible for tonsil and/or adenoid surgery and who have a positive Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children with neurological, cardiac, or respiratory comorbidities, prior upper airway surgery, craniofacial malformations, or contraindications to endoscopy are unlikely to benefit from or be eligible for this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, clinicians could use simple, noninvasive tongue tests to better identify children whose airway collapse is driven by the tongue base, improving treatment selection and potentially avoiding unnecessary procedures.
How similar studies have performed: Drug-induced sleep endoscopy is an established diagnostic tool, but using tongue motor function tests to predict tongue-base obstruction in children is relatively novel with limited prior data.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 6 and 17 years old * Medical diagnosis of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing requiring surgical removal of tonsils (partial or total) and/or adenoids * Positive Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (8 or more positive responses) * Eligibility for surgical intervention Exclusion Criteria: * Neurological, cardiac, or respiratory comorbidity other than obstructive sleep-disordered breathing * Previous surgery of the upper airway or oral cavity * History of or current head or neck cancer * Cranial, upper airway, or oral cavity malformation * Contraindication to performing endoscopy
Where this trial is running
Brussels
- Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc — Brussels, Belgium (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: William Poncin, Pr, Dr.
- Email: william.poncin@uclouvain.be
- Phone: +32470592032
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.