Stellate Ganglion Block: A Breakthrough Treatment for Post-Stroke Pharyngeal Dysphagia (SGB)

March 2, 2024 updated by: Zeng Changhao

A Random Controlled Study to Explore the Effect of Stellate Ganglion Block on Post-Stroke Pharyngeal Dysphagia

This was a multicenter randomized controlled study. 66 post-stroke patients with pharyngeal dysphagia were randomly allocated to the observation group (n=33) or the control group (n=33). Both groups were provided with comprehensive rehabilitation including routine rehabilitation and swallowing function training. Besides, the observation group additionally underwent the stellate ganglion block (SGB). At admission and after 20-day treatment, Kubota water swallowing test, video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), and Rosenbek penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) were used to assess swallowing function.

Study Overview

Status

Terminated

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Dysphagia is a frequent and potentially serious complication of stroke. However, there is no effective measure for the treatment of pharyngeal dysphagia in stroke patients. This study aims to explore the efficacy of stellate ganglion block in post-stroke pharyngeal dysphagic patients who received comprehensive rehabilitation. This was a multicenter randomized controlled study. 66 post-stroke patients with pharyngeal dysphagia were randomly allocated to the observation group (n=33) or the control group (n=33). Both groups were provided with comprehensive rehabilitation including routine rehabilitation and swallowing function training. Besides, the observation group additionally underwent the stellate ganglion block (SGB). At admission and after 20-day treatment, Kubota water swallowing test, video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), and Rosenbek penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) were used to assess swallowing function.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

65

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

  • China
    • Henan
      • Zhengzhou, Henan, China, 450000
        • Zheng da yi fu yuan hospital

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 30 and 80 years;
  • New-onset stroke, confirmed by head CT or MRI;
  • The course of disease between 1 to 6 months;
  • With pharyngeal dysphagia shown by VFSS;
  • Stable vital signs;
  • Voluntary participation in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Allergy to Lidocaine injection or vitamin B12 injection;
  • Severe cognitive impairment;
  • Coagulation disorders;
  • Severe dysfunction of organs including heart, lungs, kidney, liver, etc.;
  • Complicated with other neurological diseases;
  • With severe oral dysphagia (results of the VFSS oral phase as 2 or 3 points);
  • Dysphagia caused by other diseases or reasons.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: The observation group
Patients enrolled were firstly numbered for privacy with software and divided into the observation group (n=33) and the control group (n=33) with a random number table. Additionally, the staffs involved in assessment would not participate in the intervention of the study. The treatment lasted 20 days.
Behavioral: comprehensive rehabilitation

All the participants were provided with the comprehensive rehabilitation (routine rehabilitation and swallowing function training). The routine rehabilitation included intervention for risk factors (blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose, smoking and alcohol restriction, exercise, etc.) and pharmacological treatment (aspirin, statins, anticoagulants, etc.).

Regrading swallowing function training, both groups were given swallowing function training, including 1) exercises of closure of the vocal folds, pharyngeal, and laryngeal muscles exercises, and respiratory muscle strength training, for 15 min each time and twice per day. 2) isotonic／isometric swallowing exercises, supraglottic swallowing exercises, and the Mendelsohn maneuver, for 20 min each time and twice per day. 3) effortful swallowing exercises, and cough reflex training, for 10 min each time and twice per day.

Drug: SGB
the observation group was given SGB once a day, with 10 sessions as a course of treatment and each side of the body for one course. All the materials included: 1) 1.5ml of 2% Lidocaine hydrochloride injection (1ml: 0.5mg), Vitamin B12 Injection 500ug (1ml: 0.5g), the 5 ml disposable syringe and the sterile disposable dental injection needles. The specific operation procedure was as follows[16]: The operator stood at the patient's block side, and the patient was placed in the supine position, with the head leaning 45 degrees toward the contralateral side of the block side. After routine disinfection of the skin, a paratracheal approach was adopted, which was, 2.5cm above the sternoclavicular joint and 1.5cm outside the midline of the neck.
Active Comparator: The control group
Patients enrolled were firstly numbered for privacy with software and divided into the observation group (n=33) and the control group (n=33) with a random number table. Additionally, the staffs involved in assessment would not participate in the intervention of the study. The treatment lasted 20 days.
Behavioral: comprehensive rehabilitation

All the participants were provided with the comprehensive rehabilitation (routine rehabilitation and swallowing function training). The routine rehabilitation included intervention for risk factors (blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose, smoking and alcohol restriction, exercise, etc.) and pharmacological treatment (aspirin, statins, anticoagulants, etc.).

Regrading swallowing function training, both groups were given swallowing function training, including 1) exercises of closure of the vocal folds, pharyngeal, and laryngeal muscles exercises, and respiratory muscle strength training, for 15 min each time and twice per day. 2) isotonic／isometric swallowing exercises, supraglottic swallowing exercises, and the Mendelsohn maneuver, for 20 min each time and twice per day. 3) effortful swallowing exercises, and cough reflex training, for 10 min each time and twice per day.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Video fluoroscopic swallowing study
Time Frame: day 1 and day 20
The patient was required to take a sitting position with the head naturally upright. Under the guidance of the examiner, the patient first swallowed 5ml of iohexol solution (50ml:17.5g in iodine terms). If the patient exhibited aspiration, the test would stop. If not, the patient was instructed to swallow 10ml of iohexol solution mixed with breadcrumbs, and the patient's swallowing condition was observed with immediate measures ready to take for safety. Specially, the esophageal phase was not included in the study, because it was commonly regarded as an independent phase. The swallowing were divided into 3 phases in this assessment: Oral phase, Pharyngeal phase, and Aspiration, with maximum 3,3,4 points were given to each phase. The total score was calculated as the final result. The final score was positively correlated with the swallowing function.
day 1 and day 20

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Kubota water swallowing test
Time Frame: day 1 and day 20
During the test, patients were required to drink 30 ml of warm water. According to the situation, the swallowing function was rated from Level 1 (excellent) to Level 5 (poor). Specifically, Grade 1: The patient drank all the water at once without choking; Grade II: The patient drank all the water in two or more times without choking; Grade III: The patient drank all the water at once with choking; Grade IV: The patient drank all the water in two or more times with choking; Grade V: The patient exhibited difficulty drinking with frequent choking. Besides, we evaluated the efficacy as: 1) Recovery: The patient's symptoms of dysphagia disappear with grade 1 in the test. 2) Improvement: The patient shows improvement in dysphagia with the water the grade of the test improved. 3) Invalid: The patient's dysphagia deteriorates or did not improve, with the grade of the test not improved. (Overall effective rate = Recovery rate + Improvement rate).
day 1 and day 20
Rosenbek penetration-aspiration scale
Time Frame: day 1 and day 20
Based on VFSS, this assessment evaluated the patient's swallowing of contrast medium and whether there was retention, penetration, and aspiration. It included multiple items, each with the corresponding criteria, Specifically, whether the swallowed material entered the airway, passed through or contacted the vocal cords, and whether the patient exhibited the corresponding ability to clear. There were 8 levels in the results, with higher levels indicating more severe aspiration.
day 1 and day 20

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Zeng Changhao

Investigators

  • Study Director: Nieto Luis, Master, Site Coordinator of United Medical Group located in Miami

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

June 21, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 2, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

May 17, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 29, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 19, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

January 3, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 5, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 2, 2024

Last Verified

March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2022-KY-0049-002

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to the hospital's confidentiality regulations regarding trial data but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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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