Skip to content

Predictive Value of a Preliminary Swallowing Test Compared to Postoperative Nasofibroscopy to Identify Vocal Cord Paralysis After Pulmonary Resection

Predictive Value of a Preliminary Swallowing Test Compared to Postoperative Nasofibroscopy to Identify Vocal Cord Paralysis After Pulmonary Resection

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05193240
Acronym
SwaLO
Enrollment
72
Registered
2022-01-14
Start date
2024-09-11
Completion date
2026-05-01
Last updated
2026-02-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Adults Patients Undergoing Major Lung Resection in the Context of Lung Cancer

Brief summary

The literature describes recurrent nerve damage during thoracic surgery as a fairly complication (5 to 31% of patients). This nerve damage leads to paresis or paralysis of the ipsilateral vocal cord. This cord dysfunction no longer ensures the protective role of the airways during swallowing. This postoperative dysphagia is associated with complications such as aspiration pneumonia, the use of nasogastric tube feeding (adding difficulty to swallowing), delayed oral refeeding (risk of undernutrition, dehydration, decrease in the quality of life), and an increase in the length of hospitalization and mortality. Identifying these patients at risk is essential to limit complications (pneumonia, reintubation, inadequate refeeding, etc.). The benchmark test to objectify vocal cord palsy is to perform a nasofibroscopy requiring equipment and the intervention of an ENT doctor or thoracic surgeon. A physiotherapist can also perform a preliminary swallowing test by evaluating several criteria. The aim of this study is to compare the concordance of results between nasofibroscopy and that by preliminary swallowing test, two procedures performed in the screening of vocal cord paralysis in a surgical intensive care unit and a thoracic surgery ward. Patients will be included before the surgery. During this inclusion visit, we will perform a preoperative swallowing test. Immediately after surgery (H2-H24 after extubation), we will perform a preliminary swallowing test, an ultrasound examination of the vocal cords and a nasofibroscopy to determine the mobility of the vocal cords. A physiotherapist will carry out the first two assessments. An ENT physician will perform the nasofibroscopy. The ENT physician performing the nasofibroscopy will not know the conclusions of the tests carried out by the physiotherapist immediately after the operation. At last, on day 4 after extubation, we will repeat the preliminary swallowing test and the ultrasound examination to measure the evolution of cord mobility. Initial evaluation and secondary evaluation (day 4) will be performed by two different physiotherapists in order to allow blinding between the two stages of the procedure. 45 days after the surgery, we will realize a follow-up on medical file and mark the end of the research. We want to include 72 patients over an 18 months period.

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTpreliminary swallowing test

Patients will be included before the surgery. During this inclusion visit, we will perform a preoperative swallowing test. Immediately after surgery (H2-H24 after extubation), we will perform a preliminary swallowing test, an ultrasound examination of the vocal cords and a nasofibroscopy to determine the mobility of the vocal cords. A physiotherapist will carry out the first two assessments. An ENT physician will perform the nasofibroscopy. The ENT physician performing the nasofibroscopy will not know the conclusions of the tests carried out by the physiotherapist immediately after the operation. At last, on day 4 after extubation, we will repeat the preliminary swallowing test and the ultrasound examination to measure the evolution of cord mobility. 30 days after the surgery, we will realize a follow-up on medical file and mark the end of the research.

Sponsors

University Hospital, Rouen
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Adult (≥ 18 years old) * Patient who is scheduled for a major left lung resection surgery (segmentectomy, lobectomy, pneumonectomy) or a right lung resection with upper lymph node dissection in the context of lung cancer * Patient who capable to read and understand the patient information and consent. * Patient capable to read and sign the consent form * Patient with social insurance * Woman of childbearing age with effective contraception (see WHO definition), postmenopausal woman (≥ 12 months of amenorrhea not induced by therapy) * Negative urine pregnancy test

Exclusion criteria

* History of swallowing or eating disorders, * Neurological history with known sequelae or cognitive disorders * Preoperative nasogastric tube feeding * Person deprived of liberty by an administrative or judicial decision or person placed under judicial protection, under guardianship or curatorship, * Pregnant or breastfeeding woman * Patient participating in another clinical trial with the same primary outcome

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
discreapancies between preliminary swallowing test and nasofibroscopy2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubationthe number of discrepancies between the two test, namely the times when the two tests do not reach the same conclusion after the patients's extubation

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Prevalence of swallowing disorders pre-existing to planned surgery,inclusionestablished according to the results of the swallowing test carried out by a physiotherapist
performance of the preliminary swallowing test2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation* Sensitivity: The number of patients for whom the two tests reach the same conclusion among those with disorders according to the nasofibroscopy test * Specificity: The number of patients for whom the two tests reach the same conclusion among those who have no disorder according to the nasofibroscopy test
Performance of the ultrasound examination2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation* Sensitivity: The number of patients for whom the two tests reach the same conclusion among those with disorders according to the nasofibroscopy test * Specificity: The number of patients for whom the two tests reach the same conclusion among those who have no disorder according to the nasofibroscopy test
- Proportion of patients for whom the score of the preliminary swallowing test on day 4 is different than that obtained for the same test carried out immediately postoperativelyBetween (2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation) and Day 4\- Proportion of patients for whom the score of the preliminary swallowing test on day 4 is different than that obtained for the same test carried out immediately postoperatively
Proportion of patients for whom the score of the ultrasound examination of the vocal cords on day 4 is different than that obtained for the same test carried out immediately postoperativelyBetween (2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation) and Day 4Proportion of patients for whom the score of the ultrasound examination of the vocal cords on day 4 is different than that obtained for the same test carried out immediately postoperatively
Assessment of the discomfort felt during the 3 tests2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubationAssessment of the discomfort felt during the 3 tests carried out using a numerical scale from 0 to 10
Prevalence of postoperative complications according to the grade of the Clavien-Dindo classification30 days after surgeryPrevalence of postoperative complications according to the grade of the Clavien-Dindo classification (within 30 days after surgery). The national database EpiThor provides this information.

Countries

France

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBaptiste MICHAUX, physiotherapist

University Hospital, Rouen

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 18, 2026