Performance of the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker in BVFP Patients Without Glottal Enlargement

Unilateral Implantation of the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker in Patients Without Previous Permanent Glottal Enlargement

The goal of this clinical investigation is to learn about the use of a novel medical device, the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker, in patients suffering from bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP). The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Is the use of the device safe?
• Does the device improve the participants ability to take a breath?

Participants will be implanted with the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker and the development of their symptoms will be observed for the following 2 years.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker System Implantation and follow-up

Detailed Description

This clinical investigation aims to assess the long-term safety and performance of the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker. The SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker is a new active implantable medical device designed and developed by MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geräte GmbH. It is currently in its pre-market approval phase and the results of this clinical investigation will be used to apply for EU market entry.

The SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker is intended to improve the symptoms of Bilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis (BVFP) patients with respiratory symptoms severe enough to require surgical treatment.

The SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker consists of 2 implantable (the SPIRION Electrode and the SPIRION Implant) and 1 external (the SPIRION Processor) components. The SPIRION Electrode and the SPIRION Implant are placed below the skin in the neck and above the sternum, respectively. The SPIRION Processor is placed on the skin above the sternum.

The external SPIRION Processor transmits the stimulation parameters to the SPIRION Implant, which in turn transmits the stimulation via the SPIRION Electrode to the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle (PCA). The PCA stimulation induces the lateralization (abduction) of the respective vocal fold (VF) and thus increases the glottal gap and improves respiratory patency.

Each patient is foreseen to actively participate in this clinical investigation for a maximum of 28 months. Patients will be offered participation by their ear, nose, and throat specialist. In case a patient is interested, a thorough Informed consent process will be initiated. Patients will be tested for eligibility and if they pass, the baseline values regarding respiration, voice and other symptoms will be recorded. A few days to weeks later, the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker is implanted. The Implant is activated about 3 to 5 weeks after a successful implantation and is fitted to the individual needs of the patient. Subsequent follow-up (FU) visits are conducted after about 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months after the activation of the device. The results of the various tests meant to assesses the patients' quality of respiration, voice, and other symptoms are recorded. The SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker will be transiently deactivated twice between 12 and 24 months after activation. Tests will be performed in this period and compared with the previous and subsequent tests performed with the active device. In addition, patients' activity before implantation and during the 24-month FU period will be regularly assessed. Upon study conclusion, the patients will be actively followed-up every 6 months until the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker receives a CE certification, or it is surgically removed.

The implantation of the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker should generally improve the BVFP symptoms of patients regarding respiration, swallowing, and sleep quality. Voice quality should not be affected or even improve. Moderate physical activity (e.g., using an E-bike) should become possible, leading to an improved general quality of life.

Unlike surgical glottal enlargement, the implantation of the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker should not lead to problems with swallowing and aspiration. In addition, it should lead to a lesser rate and /or severity of surgical complications and surgery-related side-effects.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Austria
  • Vienna, Austria, 1090
    • Medical University of Vienna
  • Tyrol
    • Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, 6020
      • Tirol Kliniken GmbH
• Germany
  • Berlin, Germany, 10117
    • Charité - Medical University of Berlin
  • Baden-Wurttemberg
    • Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, 70174
      • Stuttgart Hospital - Katharinenhospital
  • Bavaria
    • Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany, 97080
      • University hospital of Würzburg
  • Thuringia
    • Gera, Thuringia, Germany, 07548
      • SRH Wald-Klinikum Gera GmbH

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

General information

The following patient categories can be recruited into this clinical investigation if they comply with all the selection criteria:

• Patients recruited in the previous first-in-human (FIH) clinical investigation 2011CIP001
• Patients with an open tracheostoma at the time of enrolment

Inclusion Criteria:

• Between 18 and 75 years old at the time of enrolment (i.e., informed consent form (ICF) signed)
• Diagnosed with BVFP for a minimum of 6 months
• With sufficient autonomous respiratory capacity to maintain their vital functions independently of the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker. Before a permanent closure of the tracheostomy is carried out during this clinical investigation, the Principal Investigator shall confirm that at least at rest, the failure of the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker would not put the patient in a life-threatening condition because of insufficient respiratory patency
• At least one PCA responds to electrical stimulation (clear abduction of the respective VF in response to electrical stimulation) within an Endoscopic Cap Electrode (ECE50) test
• Fluent in German.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Lack of compliance with any inclusion criteria
• Pregnant or breast-feeding women
• Patients suffering from an ongoing or chronic laryngeal inflammation at the time of enrolment
• Vocal fold immobility caused by arytenoid joint dysfunctions (e.g., arthritis, scarring, etc.), malignancies, central nervous system (CNS) pathologies, and/or systemic diseases
• Patients who underwent previous permanent surgical glottal enlargement
• Patients who underwent any other laryngeal surgeries (e.g., laryngeal framework surgery) that would compromise the correct SPIRION Electrode placement and/or the intended functionality of the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker
• The adductor laryngeal muscles on either or both sides underwent a botulinum toxin injection that is still effective at the time of surgery (i.e., the respective VF position is either in intermediate or lateral position)
• Patients who underwent thoracic surgeries that would compromise at least one of the following procedures:
• Correct placement of the SPIRION Electrode or SPIRION Implant
• Connection of the SPIRION Implant with the SPIRION Electrode
• Connection of the SPIRION Implant with the external SPIRION Processor
• Patients wearing an active implantable medical device at the time of enrolment
• Patients with a clinical history that would suggest a high probability that they would need an MRI
• Patients diagnosed with a malignant disease in the head and neck region
• Patients diagnosed with chronic airway infections or obstructions, or severe respiratory diseases (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) grade II or higher)
• Patients who underwent external beam radiation therapy in the surgical area
• Patients diagnosed with a serious coagulation disorder requiring an uninterruptable use of anticoagulants
• Patients with known allergies to the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker material in direct contact with the human body
• Patients suffering from moderate depression (Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) ≥ 20) or any other psychological or psychiatric diseases
• Any anatomic, physiological, or medical conditions that may increase the risks linked to the SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker implantation and/or reduce its benefit for the patient
• Parallel participation in a device/drug clinical investigation in the period of data collection, which could confound the results of this clinical investigation
• Anything that, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, would place the patient at increased risk or preclude the patient's full compliance with the general requirements of this clinical investigation.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Treatment Group; SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker System Implantation and follow-up

Device: SPIRION Laryngeal Pacemaker System Implantation and follow-up; Timeline of Visits; Screening; Baseline: Official baseline, assessment primary & secondary objectives; Implantation of device; Activation & fitting: Baseline active device; implanted device has just been activated; assessment of secondary objectives only; 8 FU Visits over 2 years after activation; IncludesBaseline Switch Off: results of the visit preceding a 14-day switch-off of the device; assessment of secondary objectives onlyEndpoints forPivotal phase: 12 months after activation; official endpoint for assessment of primary & secondary objectivesActive post-pivotal phase: 24-month follow-up; endpoint for all secondary objectivesSwitch Off: 2 Visits; assessment of secondary objectives onlyRepeated checkpoints to assess device effects over 2 years: 5 visits; assessment of secondary objectives only Device shall increase respiratory patency during inspiration, assessed by normalized PIF; other outcome measures are used to assess secondary objectives

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Device Safety	Number of Adverse Events (AEs), Serious Adverse Device Effect (SADEs), and Device Deficiencies (DDs)	12 Months
Device Performance - Respiration	PIF (Peak Inspiratory Flow) [L/min]	12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Voice Quality - Fundamental Frequency (F0)	F0 range [Hz]	24 months
Voice Quality - Sound Pressure Level (SPL)	SPL range [dB]	24 months
Voice Quality - Maximum Phonation Time (MPT)	MPT [s]	24 months
Voice Quality - Jitter	Jitter in percentage [%]	24 months
Voice Quality - Roughness, Breathiness, Hoarseness (RBH)	RBH - score between 0 and 3 for each characteristic, higher score indicates worse voice quality	24 months
Voice Quality - Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI)	DSI - calculated as 0,13 * MPT + 0,0053 * F0_maximal - 0,26 * SPL_minimal - 1,18 * Jitter + 12,4; the following ranges apply: abnormal voice (-5 < X ≤ 1,6); normal voice (1,6 < X ≤ 5), not evaluable (≤ -5)	24 months
Voice Quality - Voice Handicap Index (VHI)-9	VHI-9 patient questionnaire - score between 0 and 36, higher score indicates worse voice quality)	24 months
Respiratory patency - Absolute Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF)	Absolute PEF [L/min]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Normalized PEF	Normalized PEF [L/min]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Absolute Peak Inspiratory Flow (PIF)	Absolute PIF [L/min]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Normalized PIF	Normalized PIF [L/min]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Absolute Vital Capacity (VC)	Absolute VC [L]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Normalized VC	Normalized VC [L]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Absolute Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1)	Absolute FEV1 [L]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Normalized FEV1	Normalized FEV1 [L]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Absolute Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)	Absolute FVC [L]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Normalized FVC	Normalized FVC [L]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Tiffeneau Index	Tiffeneau Index - calculated as (FEV1/FVC)*100	24 months
Respiratory patency - Phonation quotient (PQ)	PQ - calculated as VC/MPT [L/s]	24 months
Respiratory patency - Estimated Mean Flow Rate (EMFR)	EMFR - calculated as 77+0.236*PQ	24 months
Respiratory patency - St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ)	SGRQ patient questionnaire - score between 0 and 100; higher score indicates worse health	24 months
Physical activity - 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT)	6MWT [m]	24 months
Physical activity - Physical Activity Monitor (PAM) - Physical activity level (PAL)	PAL - calculated as Total Energy Expenditure [Kcal]/Basal Metabolic Rate[Kcal]	24 months
Physical activity - PAM - Activity/Rest durations	Durations of activity/inactivity/sleep measured in [h:m] and [%]	24 months
Physical activity - PAM - Movement intensity	Movement intensity [g]	24 months
Physical activity - PAM - Number of steps	Average Number of steps per 24 h	24 months
Physical activity - PAM - Times out of bed	Number of Times out of bed	24 months
Swallow quality	MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) patient questionnaire - total score between 20 and 100, higher score indicates better day-to-day functioning	24 months
Sleep quality	Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) patient questionnaire - score between 0 and 21; higher score indicates worse sleep quality	24 months
Participant's Quality of Life - Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire	SF-36 patient questionnaire - score between 0 and 100, higher score indicates better health	24 months
Participant's Quality of Life - Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI)	GBI patient questionnaire - score between -100 and 100, negative scores indicate a poor outcome, positive scores indicate a good outcome	24 months
Symptoms	Symptom form - Log of symptoms and symptom severity during visits, descriptive evaluation	24 months
Symptoms and Patient Observations	Weekly Journal - Log of symptoms, symptom severity, and device use at home, descriptive evaluation	24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geräte GesmbH
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Andreas Müller, Prof. Dr., SRH Wald-Klinikum Gera GmbH; Principal Investigator: Berit Schneider-Stickler, Prof. Dr., Medical University of Vienna; Principal Investigator: Dirk Mürbe, Prof. Dr., Charité - Medical University of Berlin; Principal Investigator: Claus Potoschnig, Univ-Doz.Dr., Tirol Kiniken GmbH; Principal Investigator: Jan-Constantin Kölmel, Dr., Stuttgart Hospital - Katharinenhospital; Principal Investigator: Rudolf Hagen, Prof. Dr.Dr., University hospital of Würzburg

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 27, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 31, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 17, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 23, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 20, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 19, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Electrical Stimulation; Bilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis; BVFP; Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis; BVCP; Laryngeal Pacemaker
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Cranial Nerve Diseases; Laryngeal Diseases; Vagus Nerve Diseases; Paralysis; Vocal Cord Paralysis
• Other Study ID Numbers: ULP_2022CIP001; DRKS00032341 (Other Identifier: DRKS (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien)); CIV-23-01-042029 (Other Identifier: EUDAMED)

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