Nerve mapping during neck surgery could unlock new sleep apnea therapy
NCT ID NCT05650710
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study looks at a nerve in the neck called the ansa cervicalis, which controls muscles that help keep the airway open. Researchers will measure the nerve's size and shape in 50 adults having neck surgery for head and neck cancer. They will also test how stimulating the nerve moves the voice box and tongue bone, which could lead to better treatments for obstructive sleep apnea.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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51 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2023
- Finished
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Oct 2025
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patient (≥18 years old). * Scheduled for uni- or bilateral neck dissection (BND) for cervical lymphadenectomy of level IV and other indicated procedures for management of head and neck cancer. Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to consent for research due to a pre-existing neurologic condition as determined by PI. * Unable to consent for research due to language barriers. * History of prior neck surgery with transection of the infrahyoid strap muscles as determined by clinical history.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States
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