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Assessing Post-operative Outcomes After Children's Sistrunk Procedure With or Without a Drain

A Prospective, Randomized, Multi-Center Trial Assessing Post-Operative Outcomes Following Pediatric Sistrunk Procedures With or Without Drain Placement

Status
Enrolling by invitation
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07148895
Enrollment
178
Registered
2025-08-29
Start date
2026-01-09
Completion date
2029-12-31
Last updated
2026-09-09

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

Conditions

Thyroglossal Duct Cysts

Keywords

Sistrunk procedure

Brief summary

Purpose of the Study: This study looks at how kids recover after a type of neck surgery called the Sistrunk procedure. Some kids have a small tube (called a drain) placed during surgery, and some do not. The goal is to see if using a drain makes a difference in how well they heal. Who Is in the Study: Children who are having surgery to remove a thyroglossal duct cyst-a common lump in the neck that some kids are born with. Main Questions the Study Wants to Answer: Does using a drain lower the chance of problems at the surgery site? Does using a drain change how often kids need more treatment or have to go back to the hospital? What Will Happen: Kids will have the Sistrunk surgery, with or without a drain. Doctors will watch how they heal and check for any problems, like infections, needing more procedures, or going back to the hospital.

Interventions

PROCEDUREPost-surgical drain

During surgery, at the completion of the Sistrunk procedure, participants in the drain cohort will have a suction drain placed, which will be removed based on standard criteria prior to discharge from the hospital. Wound care following drain removal will be standardized, with instructions for patients to allow the area to heal naturally and to follow a regimen of cleaning and applying topical antibiotic ointment for several days.

PROCEDURENo post-surgical drain

Patients will be recovered in SOC manner from Sistrunk surgery without drain placement

Sponsors

University of Rochester
Lead SponsorOTHER
Boston Children's Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
Connecticut Children's Medical Center
CollaboratorOTHER
Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
CollaboratorOTHER
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Children aged 18 and younger * Diagnosis of a \<3cm midline neck mass, tract or sinus as determined by preoperative physical examination and imaging * Patient scheduled for Sistrunk procedure (excision of TGDC) * Patient assigned to the drain or no drain groups at the time of surgery. * Sistrunk procedure performed per best practices and standardized per surgical study protocol. * Patient admitted for overnight observation. * Thyroglossal duct cyst confirmed on final pathology.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with confirmed bleeding or immunodeficiency disorders as previously documented in electronic medical record. * Lesions greater than 3cm on preoperative ultrasound or axial imaging * Lingually positioned lesions. * Evidence of overt infection at the time of surgery * Coexistent lesion excision (e.g., branchial cleft cyst excision, thyroidectomy) * Entry into oropharynx noted during procedure. * Revision surgery if prior formal Sistrunk performed. * Patients in whom the surgeon deems a drain is necessary.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Occurrence of Surgical Site Infection (SSI)30 days post-procedureThe occurrence of surgical site infection will be assessed. An SSI is defined as an infection at the surgical site requiring treatment (e.g., antibiotics, wound drainage). A single value per participant is derived as yes (infection present) or no (infection absent). A "yes" indicates an infection occurred; a "no" indicates no infection occurred.
Occurrence of Hematoma30 days post-procedureThe occurrence of hematoma will be assessed. A hematoma is defined as a localized collection of blood at the surgical site that is clinically significant and requires management beyond observation (e.g., drainage, surgical evacuation). A single value per participant is derived as yes (hematoma present) or no (hematoma absent). A "yes" indicates a hematoma occurred; a "no" indicates no hematoma occurred.
Occurrence of Seroma30 days post-procedureThe occurrence of seroma will be assessed. A seroma is defined as a localized collection of serous fluid at the surgical site that is clinically significant and requires intervention (e.g., aspiration or drainage). A single value per participant is derived as yes (seroma present) or no (seroma absent). A "yes" indicates a seroma occurred; a "no" indicates no seroma occurred.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Need for Return to Operating Room (OR) or Procedural Intervention30 days post-procedureThe need for any surgical or procedural intervention related to the Sistrunk procedure will be recorded. A single value per participant is derived as the presence (yes) or absence (no) of an intervention. A "yes" indicates the participant required a return to the OR or procedure; a "no" indicates no intervention was required.
Hospital Readmission30 days post-procedureAny unplanned hospital readmission lasting greater than 23 hours after initial discharge will be recorded. A single value per participant is derived as yes (readmitted) or no (not readmitted). A "yes" indicates a readmission occurred; a "no" indicates no readmission occurred.
Hospital Length of Stay30 days post-procedureHospital length of stay will be measured in total number of days admitted for the index hospitalization. A single value per participant is derived by counting the number of calendar days from admission to discharge. Higher numbers indicate longer hospitalization; lower numbers indicate shorter hospitalization.
Need for Antibiotics30 days post-procedureAny prescription of antibiotics specifically related to wound healing will be recorded. A single value per participant is derived as yes (antibiotics prescribed) or no (not prescribed). A "yes" indicates antibiotics were required; a "no" indicates antibiotics were not required.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 10, 2026