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A tiny touch test aims to map lost sensation in the throat

NCT ID NCT06078527

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026

Summary

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco are studying how well a calibrated touch device measures sensation in the larynx and throat. The study includes adults with larynx or throat disorders, including those whose condition followed radiation or other cancer treatment, as well as healthy controls. Participants undergo a flexible laryngoscopy while the device delivers mild stimuli, and they answer questionnaires about what they feel. The goal is to see whether this approach can reliably detect sensory loss and flag swallowing problems such as aspiration.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
A calibrated aesthesiometer that delivers touch stimuli through a flexible laryngoscope, plus questionnaires
What this could lead to
If the device reliably measures larynx sensation, doctors could one day use it to spot nerve damage and aspiration risk earlier in people with throat disorders.
What could go wrong
This is a small observational study of about 40 people, so it cannot prove the device changes care. It may not work well in everyone, and the results may not apply to other clinics.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Nov 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Jan 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 85 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age \<=18 years. 2. Individuals without a laryngopharyngeal disorder (health controls) or with a laryngopharyngeal disorder. Laryngopharyngeal disorder includes but is not limited to: presbylarynx, aspiration; spasmodic dysphonia; globus pharynges; vocal fold paralysis; iatrogenic injury to the larynx; muscle tension dysphonia; neurogenic dysphagia; laryngeal sensory neuropathy; and laryngopharyngeal disorders resulting from prior radiation therapy in individuals with a history of head and neck cancer who have completed radiation therapy as primary or adjuvant cancer treatment 3. Ability and willingness to comply with study procedures. 4. Ability to understand a written informed consent document, and the willingness to sign it. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Non-English speaking. 2. Laryngopharyngeal structures are not accessible on exam. 3. Known contraindication to any study-related procedure, or history of being unable to tolerate laryngoscopy. 4. Vocal fold immobility or severe hypomobility on adduction. 5. For head and neck cancer survivors only: Currently undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (i.e., primary/adjuvant radiation therapy treatment plan is not yet completed).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Globus Sensation iatrogenic disease laryngeal disorder sensory peripheral neuropathy spasmodic dystonia Vocal Cord Paralysis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Aspiration Globus pharyngeus Iatrogenic injury Laryngeal disease Larynx paralysis Presbylarynx Sensory neuropathy Spasmodic dysphonia Vocal cord paralysis

How to take part

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  1. The study's own enquiry address

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  2. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  3. The official record

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    Open the record ↗

  4. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • University of California, San Francisco

    San Francisco, California, 94143, United States

    Contact Email: •••••@•••••

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