High Dose Steroids for Dysphagia (SHDD)

Effect of High Dose Steroids on Dysphagia After Anterior Spinal Surgery: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Few existing data currently indicates that anti-inflammatory drugs could help diminish the local cervical inflammation tough to cause the dysphagia, hoarseness and dyspnea after an anterior surgical approach to the spine. This study aims to evaluate the effect of high dose of steroids on dysphagia after an anterior cervical spine procedure. Patients subjected to a cervical spine surgery through an anterior approach will be randomized to a treatment group receiving 3 doses of IV dexamethasone (decadron) and a placebo group receiving saline. Outcome will be measured with dysphagia scales, modified barium swallow and rhino-pharyngo-laryngoscopy, all done pre and post-operatively. Secondary outcomes involve neurological condition, pain and fusion rate.

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Quebec
      • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2L4M1
        • Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal (CHUM)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Anterior cervical spine surgery
  • Elective surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Takes steroids for any reason
  • Pre-existing condition leading to dysphagia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Treatment group
Dexamethasone, 4 mg IV given at 8 hours interval, first dose received at the time of surgery (induction), 3 doses total
Other Names:
  • Decradron
Placebo Comparator: Placebo group
Saline given at 8 hours interval, first dose received at the time of surgery (induction), 3 doses total
Normal saline (IV placebo)
Other Names:
  • Saline

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Voice evaluation
Time Frame: First day post-operatively
Voice handicap index
First day post-operatively
Dysphagia evaluation: MBSimp
Time Frame: First day post-operatively
Modified Barium Swallow with the calculation fof the MBSimp score
First day post-operatively
Soft tissue edema
Time Frame: First day post-operatively
Pre-vertebral soft tissue edema on X Ray
First day post-operatively
Airway evaluation
Time Frame: First day post-operatively
Rhino-Pharyngo-Laryngoscopy
First day post-operatively
Dysphagia evaluation: Rosenbeck
Time Frame: First day post-operatively
Modified Barium Swallow with calculation of the Rosenbeck score
First day post-operatively

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hyperreflexia
Time Frame: 3 months post-operatively
hyperreflexia assesment using osteotendinous reflexes graded on a 1 to 4 scale
3 months post-operatively
Fusion rate
Time Frame: 6 months after surgery
Cervical spine fusion at site of surgery seen on CT scan
6 months after surgery
Pain
Time Frame: 3 months after surgery
Subjective neck pain using analog pain scale
3 months after surgery
Strenght
Time Frame: 3 months after surgery
4 limbs strengh assessment on a 0 to 5 scale
3 months after surgery
Crude touch sensation
Time Frame: 3 months after surgery
Presence or absence of hypoesthesia in the limbs
3 months after surgery
Surgical site infection
Time Frame: 3 months after surgery
Presence or absence of superficial or deep surgical site infection
3 months after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 24, 2015

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

November 1, 2018

Study Completion (Anticipated)

February 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 17, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 17, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

August 21, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 14, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 12, 2022

Last Verified

December 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CE 14.247

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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