An interventional study of preliminary swallowing test in Adults Patients Undergoing Major Lung Resection in the Context of Lung Cancer, sponsored by University Hospital, Rouen. Recruiting at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-02-17.
Sponsored by University Hospital, Rouen · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic
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.
University Hospital, Rouen is the lead sponsor of 410 studies on the registry; 104 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
compared as nasofibroscopy and ultrasound examination of vocal cords
Diagnostic Test: preliminary 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.
Also known as: nasofibroscopy, ultrasound examination of the vocal cords
discreapancies between preliminary swallowing test and nasofibroscopy
the 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
Time frame: 2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation
Prevalence of swallowing disorders pre-existing to planned surgery,
established according to the results of the swallowing test carried out by a physiotherapist
Time frame: inclusion
performance of the preliminary swallowing test
* 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
Time frame: 2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation
Performance of the ultrasound examination
* 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
Time frame: 2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation
- 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 preliminary swallowing test on day 4 is different than that obtained for the same test carried out immediately postoperatively
Time frame: Between (2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation) and Day 4
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 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 postoperatively
Time frame: Between (2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation) and Day 4
Assessment of the discomfort felt during the 3 tests
Assessment of the discomfort felt during the 3 tests carried out using a numerical scale from 0 to 10
Time frame: 2 hours after extubation to 24 hours after extubation
Prevalence of postoperative complications according to the grade of the Clavien-Dindo classification
Prevalence of postoperative complications according to the grade of the Clavien-Dindo classification (within 30 days after surgery). The national database EpiThor provides this information.
Time frame: 30 days after surgery
Plan to share: No
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University Hospital, Rouen