Characterization of the Tongue in Children With Obstructive Sleep-disordered Breathing

October 2, 2026 updated by: Université Catholique de Louvain

The tongue plays a key role in maintaining upper airway patency during sleep, mainly through the genioglossus, the principal pharyngeal dilator muscle. Its dysfunction may be linked to the development of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (oSDB), a condition affecting more than one in ten children and associated with cardiovascular and cognitive consequences. Although adenotonsillectomy remains the treatment of choice, it fails in a substantial proportion of cases because of persistent obstruction at other sites, the tongue base being involved in one third of these cases. Therefore, a better characterization of the tongue in children with oSDB is needed, since the extent to which its structure and function contribute to upper airway obstruction in this population remains largely unknown.

Our team has established the reproducibility of tongue function measurements in healthy children and is currently building a reference database. What is still lacking is an assessment of tongue structure and function in children with oSDB. Such data would allow comparison with healthy children, thereby improving the understanding of oSDB pathophysiology and informing clinical management.

Primary objective: To describe tongue structure and function in children with oSDB.

Secondary objective: To compare tongue structure and function between children with oSDB and healthy children, using data from a previous study conducted in healthy children (TMAC study, UCLouvain).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
39

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Belgium
      • Liège, Belgium, 4000
        • Recruiting
        • CHC MontLégia hospital
        • Contact:

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

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

4 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, with a scheduled polysomnography or who received a polysomnography within the past 6 months, and without any neurological, syndromic, or malformative comorbidity that would classify the obstructive sleep disorder as Type III

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 4 to 17 years
  • Scheduled polysomnography, or polysomnography performed within the past 6 months
  • Positive Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (8 "yes" answers or more)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any neurological, syndromic, or malformative comorbidity that would classify the obstructive sleep disorder as Type III
  • Any condition that could interfere with the assessments

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

  • Observational Models: CASE_CONTROL
  • Time Perspectives: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Unique arm, cross-sectional assessment

Single assessment visit
Other: Cross-sectional assessment

This cross-sectional assessment includes outcomes related to tongue structure, tongue function, and questionnaires

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Tongue strength assessment
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

Maximal pressure exerted by the tongue against an air-filled bulb (in kPa) in protrusion, elevation, and during swallowing.
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Tongue morphology assessment
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

Submental ultrasound in frontal and sagittal plane, to assess the thickness of tongue muscles (cm)
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)
Tongue frenulum assessment
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

Tongue range of motion ratio, reflecting the restriction imposed by the lingual frenulum. It is computed as the maximal mouth opening with the tongue tip held at the incisive papilla (mm) divided by the maximal mouth opening (mm).
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)
Tongue mobility score
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

Motricité Bucco-Linguo-Faciale (MBLF) test, where several movements are scored between 0 and 3 regarding muscular contraction or symmetry.
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)
Obstructive apnea-hypopnea index
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

Number of obstructive apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep (events/hour) assessed through polysomnography
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)
Breathing pattern questionnaire
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

Mouth breathing questionnaire from Abreu et al., considered positive if two major items, or one major and two minor items, are answered "yes"
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)
Quality of life questionnaire
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

PedsQL questionnaire (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory), divided into parent report and child self-report questionnaires, with several items scored from 0 to 4. Higher scores indicate more problems related to the quality of life.
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)
Sleep quality questionnaire
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

The Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire will be administered to parents. Items are answered "yes", "no", or "I don't know", and higher scores indicate more signs of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing.
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)
Sleep-related quality of life questionnaire
Time Frame: At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

The Obstructive Sleep Apnea-18 (OSA-18) questionnaire will be administered to parents. Higher scores indicate a greater impact of sleep-disordered breathing on quality of life.
At enrollment, during the single study visit (Day 1)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Université Catholique de Louvain

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
CHC MontLégia

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 (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • TMAC-C2

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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