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RecruitingNCT02821299ECLATUpdated Feb 17, 2026

Clinical Evaluation of Laryngeal Transplantation: Study of 3 Patients

An interventional study of Laryngeal transplantation in Laryngeal Transplantation, sponsored by Hospices Civils de Lyon. Recruiting at 3 sites in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-02-17.

Sponsored by Hospices Civils de Lyon · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Sep 2018; still recruiting 8 years later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
3
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The experience of face and hand composite tissue transplantations reported in the international community have mainly concerned trauma patients. Feasibility and individual benefit have been demonstrated for these indications, in properly selected patients. The first laryngeal transplantation also concerned a case of post-traumatic reconstruction. A certain number of patients, who have suffered direct (extended period of intubation during a stay in the ICU, road traffic accident etc.) or indirect trauma (thermal or chemical burns) to the larynx, present irreversible trauma or injury to the larynx in which conventional treatments are unable to restore laryngeal function. These patients find themselves severely disabled, with a significant reduction in their quality of life. They suffer from stigmatization which leads to social isolation (professional and personal). In some circumstances, providing healthy tissue and anatomical or functional components (cartilage, muscle, nerves, blood vessels) by means of an allogeneic laryngeal transplantation, is the only way of allowing patients, whose quality of life has been seriously affected, to speak, breath and swallow normally. The extremely promising results from other international teams in this area have encouraged the investigators to present this project.

The specificities of the protocol compared to previous transplantations carried out by other teams are:

  • The technique for nerve re-innervation which should make it possible to decannulate all patients and improve functional outcomes in the graft.
  • A dual therapy immunosuppressive regimen will be used, if the patient's clinical and biological status permits, which can be adjusted according to the type of tissue grafted.

It might be thought that the need for immunosuppressive therapy means the indications will remain rare, representing an incidence of less than five patients a year in France. However, the interest of this research project does not reside in the number of patients concerned but rather the total lack of any existing therapeutic solution. Conducting a case series will help determine whether, under certain conditions, laryngeal transplantation can improve the management of patients for whom the usual reconstructive surgery options are unsatisfactory.

The study is intended to provide a descriptive analysis of a case series of three laryngeal transplantations before and after comparisons, each patient serving as their own control.

02

Conditions studied

  • Laryngeal Transplantation

Keywords

  • Laryngeal transplantation
  • Laryngeal function
  • Swallowing
  • Voice production
  • Respiration
  • Quality of life
03

In context

Respiratory Aspiration

1,092 studies on the registry are indexed under Respiratory Aspiration; 216 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 3 is below the median of 42 across 881 interventional studies indexed under Respiratory Aspiration.

Browse Respiratory Aspiration studies →

Lead sponsor

Hospices Civils de Lyon is the lead sponsor of 1,826 studies on the registry; 439 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients presenting with the permanent loss of laryngeal functions. Loss of laryngeal function is considered when a patient is permanently tracheotomized, is mutic and presented failure for each of the three conventional treatment. Conventional treatment lines are organized in the following manner firstly laser, then prosthesis and lastly surgery) Diet may be normal.
  • Adults aged between 18 to 60 years;
  • ASA (American Society of Anesthesiology) score \< 3 and the health status of the patients must be compatible not only with the graft but also with all the treatments envisaged by the study (according investigator assessment);
  • Psychological maturity: recipients should be psychologically balanced, assessed by the team psychiatrists, have taken personality tests, determined and willing, capable of understanding the information provided on the risks relating to the surgery and the immunosuppressive treatment, and capable of making their own decision regarding the transplantation. The psychological preparation for the transplantation requires relationships to be built up prior to the procedure between the patient, the team providing care for laryngectomized patients, the rehabilitation team, the surgical team and the psychiatrist;
  • Patients capable of understanding the information provided on the risks relating to the study, and capable of making their own decision regarding the transplantation according investigator assessment;
  • Having given written informed consent prior to any procedure related to the study;
  • Covered by a Health System where applicable, and/or in compliance with the recommendations of the national laws in force relating to biomedical research.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Minors or patients aged over 60 years;
  • Patients with a history of cancer of the upper airways or upper digestive tract; excepted:

    • Patients, non-smoker, who have undergone total laryngectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, in complete remission for at least 5 years *. Remission for at least 5 years will be confirmed with imaging, endoscopy or histology.
    • Patients with low-grade chondrosarcoma of the larynx, a tumor with very low metastatic potential, often classified as intermediate or even benign (complete resection with histologically confirmed healthy margins)*
    • Patients who are already receiving immunosuppressive treatment (Only patients already receiving an immunosuppressive dose equivalent to that specified in the study protocol may be considered under this criterion)
  • Patients with a history of other types of malignancy;
  • Patients presenting with a progressive malignant tumor; suspicious laryngeal lesions (dysplasia ...)
  • Patients with addiction to alcohol and/or smoking (Consumption of alcohol in the last 5 years and/or consumption of more than 10 packs per year that has not been stopped in the last 5 years).
  • Patient presenting hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV(Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection;
  • Patients with a history of psychiatric disorders: known delusional psychosis, untreated severely depressed patients, patients with severe behavioral disorders, patients with permanent generalized anxiety disorder,
  • ASA (American Society of Anesthesiology) score ≥ 3;
  • Patients presenting moderate renal failure which does not justify renal transplantation with a glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 calculated using the CKD-EPI formula;
  • Arterial hypertension treated by more than one therapy;
  • Testing for anti-HLA antibodies will be carried out at the initial inclusion visit, a cross-match will be carried out immediately before transplantation, a positive cross-match will be considered as an automatic contraindication to carrying out the transplantation;
  • Women who are pregnant or not taking contraception (effective contraceptive method compulsory);
  • Women who are breastfeeding;
  • People who have been deprived of their freedom through a legal or administrative decision;
  • Adult with a legal guardian;
  • Patients in emergency situations;
  • EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus) seronegative recipient with EBV seropositive graft, due to the risk of lymphoma.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
3 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Laryngeal transplantation

    Laryngeal transplantation

    Other: Laryngeal transplantation

Interventions

  • OtherLaryngeal transplantation

    Laryngeal transplantation

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Swallowing evaluation measured using the "Deglutition Handicap Index"

    The laryngeal transplantation will be evaluated with a primary composite endpoint based on the three inseparable laryngeal functions: swallowing evaluation will be mainly measured using the "Deglutition Handicap Index"

    Time frame: 3 years post transplantation

  2. Voice production evaluated by self-report VHI (Voice Handicap Index) patient questionnaires

    The laryngeal transplantation will be evaluated with a primary composite endpoint based on the three inseparable laryngeal functions: Voice production will be evaluated by self-report VHI (Voice Handicap Index) patient questionnaires

    Time frame: 3 years post transplantation

  3. Respiration evaluated by decannulation

    The laryngeal transplantation will be evaluated with a primary composite endpoint based on the three inseparable laryngeal functions: Respiration, for which the decannulation remains the most appropriate criterion.

    Time frame: 3 years post transplantation

  4. Graft survival

    Time frame: 3 years post transplantation

07

Study locations

3 of 3 sites recruiting
  • Service d'Urologie et Chirurgie de la Transplantation - Hôpital Edouard Herriot - Hospices Civils de Lyon
    Lyon, 69003, France
    • Lionel BADET, MD · Contact
    • Lionel BADET, MD · Principal investigator
    • Philippe CERUSE, MD · Sub investigator
    Recruiting
  • Service ORL & Chirurgie Cervicofaciale - Hôpital Charles Nicolle - CHU Rouen
    Rouen, 76000, France
    • Jean-Paul MARIE, MD · Contact
    • Jean-Paul MARIE, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Centre de soins de suite et de réadaptation fonctionnelle - SSR Val Rosay
    Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, 69370, France
    • Cherryfat GIWA, MD · Contact
    • Cherryfat GIWA, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 17, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02821299
Lead sponsor
Hospices Civils de Lyon
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 1, 2016
Start date
Sep 20, 2018
Primary completion
Sep 20, 2030 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 20, 2030 (estimated)
Last update
Feb 17, 2026

Study contacts

Lionel BADET, MD
Contact
lionel.badet@chu-lyon.fr
4 72 11 11 42 ext. +33
Muriel ROLLAND
Contact
muriel.rolland@chu-lyon.fr
4 78 56 90 70 ext. +33

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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