Tongue movement tests to predict airway blockage during sleep in children
Official title: Tongue Motor Functions Assessment as a Screening Tool for Obstructive Sleep Disordered Breathing in Children
Run by Université Catholique de Louvain · NCT06792045 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 |
|---|---|
| Ages | 4 Years to 17 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 48 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Université Catholique de Louvain Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Brussels) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | August 22, 2025 |
| Main results expected | October 2027 |
| Study ends | October 2027 |
| Registry record updated | November 4, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06792045 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a 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.
✕Probably 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.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
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.
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 gone: 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.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 4 and 17 years old * Medical diagnosis of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing requiring surgical removal of tonsils (partial or total) and/or adenoids, excluding type III (e.g., linked to a neurological comorbidity) * Positive Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (8 or more positive responses) * Eligibility for surgical intervention Exclusion Criteria: * 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 the assessments
Where it's running
-
Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc
Brussels, Belgium Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: William Poncin, Pr, Dr.
- Email: william.poncin@uclouvain.be
- Phone: +32470592032
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.