Outcomes Tracking in Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis (UVFP) and Atrophy After Medialization Laryngeal Surgery

May 5, 2026 updated by: University of California, San Francisco

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the long-term outcomes of Laryngeal Framework Surgery (LFS) in patients with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis (UVFP) or Vocal Fold Atrophy (VFA). The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Whether LFS technique (implant material, addition of arytenoid adduction) is associated with differences in outcomes such as complication rate, duration of surgery, hospital stay length, and quality of voice post-surgery.
  • Whether UVFP or VFA diagnosis is associated with differences in outcomes such as complication rate, duration of surgery, hospital stay length, and quality of voice post-surgery.

Participants who are determined by their clinician to need LFS for their UVFP or VFA will undergo the procedure, attend follow-up appointments, and complete surveys about their voice and swallowing ability as they would as part of their regular medical care.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

500

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

  • United States
    • California
      • La Jolla, California, United States, 92093
        • University of California, San Diego
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
        • University of Southern California
      • San Francisco, California, United States, 94143
        • University of California, San Francisco
    • Florida
      • Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
        • University of Miami
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
    • Missouri
      • St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
        • Washington University in St. Louis
    • North Carolina
      • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27101
        • Wake Forest University
    • Ohio
      • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45267
        • University of Cincinnati
      • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
        • Ohio State University
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
        • Medical University of South Carolina

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

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Potential participants will be identified by treating laryngologists at the lead site (UCSF) or partner sites (Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Wake Forest, University of Cincinnati, UCSD) at the time the patient presents for their visit. If the patient is determined to have UVFP or vocal fold atrophy and is interested in undergoing surgical treatment, they will be asked about their interest in participating.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Over 18 years of age
  • Diagnosed UVFP or VFA
  • English speaking
  • willing and able to follow up for 2 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • under 18
  • non-English speaking

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Laryngeal Framework Surgery
Participants receive Laryngeal Framework Surgery, defined as medialization thyroplasty with or without arytenoid adduction.
Procedure: Laryngeal Framework Surgery
All participants will receive laryngeal framework surgery as recommended by their treating surgeon. This can include medialization thyroplasty with or without arytenoid adduction, under general anesthesia or monitored anesthesia care.
Other Names:
  • medialization thyroplasty
  • arytenoid adduction

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in the mean VHI-10 score at 12-months post operation
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Voice Handicap Index-10 is a 10-item questionnaire used to measure voice handicap. Scores range from 0-40 with higher scores indicating greater voice handicap.
Baseline and 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of California, San Francisco

Collaborators

Medical University of South Carolina
Washington University School of Medicine
University of California, San Diego
University of Miami
University of Southern California
Ohio State University
University of Cincinnati
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Wake Forest University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Clark Rosen, MD, University of California, San Francisco

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)

October 28, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 25-44455

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.

Clinical Trials on Unilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis

Clinical Trials on Laryngeal Framework Surgery

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in United Arab Emirates

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe