NCT Number: NCT07639775
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether osteopathic manipulative treatment, or OMT, can reduce the need for tympanostomy tube surgery in children with recurrent or chronic otitis media who have been referred to an Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon and are being considered for tympanostomy tube placement.
The main question it aims to answer is:
Can a standardized OMT protocol, given once weekly for 4 weeks before the final surgical decision, reduce the rate of tympanostomy tube surgery in pediatric patients with recurrent or chronic otitis media?
Researchers will compare children who receive the standardized OMT protocol with children who receive a placebo/control manual treatment protocol to see whether OMT leads to a clinically meaningful reduction in the need for surgery.
Participants will:
* Attend 4 weekly study visits before their final ENT surgical decision. * Receive one of several assigned combinations of standardized OMT intervention procedures and control manual procedures. Each participant's assigned treatment sequence is determined by randomization. * Complete study-related assessments and questionnaires related to ear symptoms and quality of life. * Continue their planned ENT care, including follow-up evaluation with the ENT surgeon to determine whether tympanostomy tube surgery is still recommended.
Trial opening soon.
Get Notified6 month–6 year
All sexes
Interventional
Not applicable
Blue Ridge Ear, Nose and Throat, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States
Healthy volunteers accepted: No
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
The Experimental Intervention is a standardized OMT protocol targeting the head, neck, thoracic, and lymphatic regions, selected to address anatomic and physiologic factors implicated in eustachian tube function, middle ear ventilation, and lymphatic drainage. The protocol consists of widely taught, non-invasive osteopathic techniques delivered in a fixed sequence and duration.
Other names: True Intervention
The Control Intervention is a protocol of genuine OMT applied to the Sacrum, Pelvis and Lower Extremity body regions plus standard of care. This Control Intervention is conceptualized as inert in the study population.
Time frame: At the time of the participant's pre-operative ENT visit, following all four study visits.
Following the final intervention for any given participant, the ENT physician, in conjunction with the parent/guardian, will determine whether to proceed with tympanostomy tube placement, defer, or cancel based on clinical status. This decision constitutes the primary outcome of the study.
Time frame: Performed at the inital ENT consultation as standard of care, and again at the time of the pre-operative ENT visit.
Objective measurement of fluid and/or pressure behind the tympanic membrane. Results reported as "Type A", "B", or "C".
Time frame: Performed at the inital ENT consultation as standard of care, and again at the time of the pre-operative ENT visit.
An objective measurement of hearing ability in decibels, with the ability to distinguish between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Typically done in conjunction with tympanometry.
Time frame: This survey will be administered at Week 1, Week 3 (study midpoint) and within one week of the participant's pre-operative ENT appointment.
A parent-proxy survey used for infants and young children. It tracks six core domains: physical suffering, hearing loss, speech impairment, emotional distress, activity limitations, and caregiver concerns. The six items on OM-6 questionnaire are graded by caregiver on a seven-point scale where 1 indicates no problem and 7 indicates extreme problem. The individual scores are summed up and divided by 6 to get an overall mean score. Higher scores indicate worse outcome and lower scores indicate better outcome.
Time frame: This survey will be administered at Week 1, Week 3 (study midpoint) and within one week of the participant's pre-operative ENT appointment.
The PedsQL Inventory is designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in healthy children and those with acute or chronic health conditions. It is divided into specific age brackets to ensure developmentally appropriate questions. For participants 6 months to 2 years old, the PedsQL Infant Scales will be used. For participants 3 to 6 years old, the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales - Parent Proxy Report will be used. Parents/caregivers must complete these as proxy-reports. The PedsQL uses a standard 5-point Likert scale (0 = Never a problem; 1 = Almost never a problem; 2 = Sometimes a problem; 3 = Often a problem; 4 = Almost always a problem). Answers are reverse-scored and transformed to a 0-100 scale (0 = 100, 1 = 75, 2 = 50, 3 = 25, 4 = 0) and the mean is taken. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.
Mark D Unger, D.O., M.S.
CONTACT
Sarah Vidal, B.S.
CONTACT
Sarah Vidal
Other
The Role of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) in Children With Recurrent or Chronic Otitis Media Prior to Tympanostomy Tube Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial
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.
Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.
NCT07625657
Ear Diseases, Otitis
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
View Trial DetailsNCT06944795
Ear Diseases, Otitis
Palo Alto, California, United States
View Trial DetailsNCT07243093
Ear Diseases, Earache
View Trial DetailsNCT07454512
Ear Diseases, Middle Ear Effusion
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
View Trial Details