Otorhinolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery

Below are current clinical trials.

Filter this list of studies by location, status and more.

1. Otorhinolaryngology Normal, Tumor Tissue, Saliva, Stool, and Blood Bank

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to obtain tissue, blood, saliva, and stool specimens and informed consent from ENT patients in order to build a freezer archive of samples to support ongoing and future developmental studies.

2. Airway Stenosis Specimen Registry

   Rochester, Minn.

   The primary objective of this proposal is to develop an Airway Stenosis Registry at Mayo Clinic. The purpose of the registry will be to support ongoing research in the etiology, early diagnosis, clinical management, and prognosis of airway stenosis due to inflammation, cancers and other diseases of the airway.  

3. Randomized Trial of Intensity-Modulated Proton Beam Therapy (IMPT) Versus Intensity-Modulated Photon Therapy (IMRT) for the Treatment of Oropharyngeal Cancer of the Head and Neck

   Rochester, Minn., Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   The goal of this clinical research study is to compare the side effects of 2 radiation treatments for head and neck cancer. The 2 treatments are intensity modulated photon therapy (IMRT) and intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT). Participants will also receive chemotherapy along with radiation therapy. IMPT is designed to use beams of proton particles to send radiation to the tumor. IMRT is designed to use beams of photon therapy to send radiation to the tumor. Both of these types of radiation treatment may give a full dose of radiation treatment to the tumor while not damaging as much of the healthy tissue around it. This is an investigational study. IMRT and IMPT are delivered using FDA-approved and commercially available methods. Comparing them is investigational. Up to 360 participants will be enrolled in this study. Up to 250 patients will take part at MD Anderson.

4. Comparison of Standard Visually Evoked Potential (VEP) Recording and a Portable VEP System

   Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   Visually Evoked Potentials (VEPs) are electrical potentials elicited from brief visual stimuli and recorded from the visual cortex with surface electrodes.  VEPs are an objective, reliable, and non-invasive method for evaluation of the functional integrity of the retina and early afferent visual pathways. The purpose of this study is to compare the VEPs generated from a standard clinical evoked potential system to those obtained from the Vivonics portable VEP system.

    

5. Epidemiologic and Psychologic Factors for Spasmotic Dsyphonia (SD)

   Jacksonville, Fla.

   The purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiologic and psychologic factors for spasmotic dsyphonia (SD).   

6. Olfactory and Sinonasal Epithelium as Cell Source of Neural Progenitors and Autologous Constructs

   Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   The goals of the study are to develop protocols for growing cells isolated from the nasal epithelium and fat tissue. This will be used to help grow nerve-related tissue as well as cartilage, epithelial cells, muscle cells, or other cells that are present in the head and neck region. The goal is to generate a large number of cells that could be used for constructing tissue that can be implanted for structural and functional reconstruction.

   The development of such methods is a step in our goal to rehabilitate patients with cancer, trauma, or other debilitating neurological diseases that lose function and structure in the head and neck area. The cells isolated from your tissues will not be used for developing implants but will help with experiments to establish the protocols needed to cultivate cells and develop the implant.

7. Prospective Study of Round Window Versus Cochleostomy Approach to CI Surgery

   Rochester, Minn.

   In 1985, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved multichannel cochlear implants (CIs) for adults with profound hearing loss; and in 1990, implantation was approved for children. Since then, this procedure has become the standard of care for patients with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. Successful outcomes are dependent not only on extrinsic factors, but also on intrinsic factors that cannot always be modified by the CI team. Significant predictive factors for hearing outcomes in patients with CIs have been previously reported. These include, but are not limited to, duration of deafness, level of preimplant speech recognition, pre/postlingual status, and the coupling of device electrodes. Recipient age does not appear to have a significant impact on hearing outcomes in elderly candidates.

   Earlier studies have found that, because of its dimensions and proximity to the spiral ganglion cells, the scala tympani (ST) is the preferred location for CI electrode placement. A number of recent studies have proposed that intraoperative factors may be important determinants of electrode location and possibly of audiological outcome. Preliminary reports suggest that intracochlear electrode position- specifically, placement within the ST-is associated with improved audiological outcomes. Additionally, different surgical techniques have been proposed to minimize trauma during electrode insertion and to increase the likelihood of placement within the ST - namely round window and anteroinferior cochleostomy electrode insertion.

   Currently, the best surgical approach for electrode insertion is highly debated, fueled by a lack of strong evidence to support one method over another. While a number of CI centers have begun to utilize a round window approach, many large volume centers in the United States and world wide continue to routinely employ cochleostomy electrode insertions. With an increasing number of patients being implanted with greater degrees of residual hearing, such data will become critical towards reducing intracochlear injury and optimizing patient outcomes. To the investigators' knowledge, no clinical study has prospectively investigated the relationship between surgical insertion technique, intracochlear electrode location, and postoperative hearing outcomes. To this end, the investigators are initiating a multicenter prospective randomized controlled double-blinded study comparing round window and cochleostomy cochlear implant electrode insertion.

8. The Role of Therapy for Muscle Tension Dysphagia

   Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   Muscle tension dysphagia is a novel diagnostic taxonomy describing a subset of patient population with reported dysphagia who exhibit normal oropharyngeal and esophageal swallowing function as evidenced by videofluoroscopic swallow study. These patients also demonstrate abnormal supraglottic muscle tension during laryngoscopy as well as signs of laryngeal hypersensitivity and laryngopharyngeal reflux. Treatment of these patients with Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) therapy is a common practice however voice therapy invention targeting the unloading of the supraglottic muscle tension has been shown to be highly effective in symptom resolution per the investigators' clinical experience. The study is designed to answer efficacy of treatment being offered to patients with muscle tension dysphagia.

9. Vocal Disorders Co-existing in Patients with Spasmotic Dsyphonia (SD)

   Jacksonville, Fla.

   The purpose of this study is to investigate if SD patients have vocal disorders (nodules, polyps, muscle tension dysphonia etc) more than in normal population.

10. A Study of Normative Data for Bone-conducted VEMP Responses (amplitude, latency, threshold, asymmetry, signal-to-noise ratio) in Patients Without Vestibular Dysfunction

    Rochester, Minn.

    The purpose of this study is to develop a set of normative data for bone-conducted VEMP responses (amplitude, latency, threshold, asymmetry, signal-to-noise ratio) in patients without vestibular dysfunction, and to assess the reliability and replicability of these responses.