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OpenTrials
Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07246694

Enhanced Recovery After Uvulopalatoplasty

Obstructive sleep apnea is a prevalent condition often treated surgically with palatoplasty, which improves airway patency and reduces apneic events. However, postoperative pain and airway discomfort following palatoplasty can be significant, leading to delayed oral intake, increased opioid consumption, and prolonged recovery. Combining an ultrasound-guided glossopharyngeal nerve block with topical airway anesthesia may provide synergistic analgesia and support a safer recovery profile.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Analgesia Agnosia Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Perceptual Disorders Recovery, Psychological Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Zagazig university hospital

Zagazig, Al-Sharkia, 44519, Egypt

About this study

Obstructive sleep apnea is a prevalent condition often treated surgically with palatoplasty, which improves airway patency and reduces apneic events. However, postoperative pain and airway discomfort following palatoplasty can be significant, leading to delayed oral intake, increased opioid consumption, and prolonged recovery. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols aim to accelerate functional recovery and reduce perioperative morbidity. Combining an ultrasound-guided glossopharyngeal nerve block with topical airway anesthesia may provide effective analgesia and support a smoother recovery profile.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Confirmed diagnosis of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
  • Patients scheduled for elective palatoplasty under general anesthesia.
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status class I and II.

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients with chronic opioid use.
  • Advanced hepatic, renal, cardiovascular, and neurologic diseases.

Treatment and study plan

Glossopharyngeal nerve block

Procedure

Glossopharyngeal nerve block using ultrasound guidance after induction of general anesthesia plus topical anesthesia before surgical incision.

Standard Multimodal Analgesia

Other

The patient will receive intravenous fentanyl and non opioids analgesics (acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) with general anesthesia.

Primary outcomes

  1. The recovery time

    Time frame: 1 hour

    The time from from inhalational anesthetic discontinuation to the first response to verbal command.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Additional intraoperative analgesia

    Time frame: 4 hours

    Additional doses of intraoperative fentanyl.

  2. Postoperative pain assessment

    Time frame: The first 24 hours postoperative.

    Postoperative pain assessment by the 10 points Visual Analogue Scale at at rest and during swallowing with 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst pain.

  3. Total rescue analgesia

    Time frame: The first 24 hours postoperative.

    Total rescue analgesic dose needed during the first postoperative 24 hours.

  4. Incidence of complications

    Time frame: 4 hours

    Incidence of any complications related to nerve block or local anesthesia such as hematoma formation or local anesthetic systemic toxicity.

  5. Quality of recovery

    Time frame: The first 24 hours postoperative.

    Quality of recovery assessed by the Quality of recovery score-15 at the end of the first 24 hours postoperative. The Quality of recovery score ranges from 0 to150, with higher scores indicate better recovery.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Zagazig University

Other Gov

Registry information

Official study title

Combined Glossopharyngeal Nerve Block With Topical Anesthesia for Enhanced Recovery in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Undergoing Uvulopalatoplasty

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Nov 24, 2025
Registry last updated
May 6, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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