Recruiting

Laryngeal Nerve Block

Sponsor:

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Code:

NCT04642352

Conditions

Cough

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

superior laryngeal nerve block

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this study is to evaluate if office-based injection of a local anesthetic/steroid combination at the area of one superior laryngeal nerve can decrease cough frequency and alleviate symptoms of chronic cough in patients with neurogenic cough.

Conditions

Cough

Study ID

NCT04642352

Start date

Jan 3, 2022

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Oct, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Oct, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Ability of patients to speak and understand English
  • Ability for patients to consent for themselves
  • Cough for 8 weeks or greater, with suspected sensory neuropathic etiology of the cough. Inclusion based on history of preceding upper respiratory infection or other symptoms suggestive of irritable larynx such as cough in response to temperature changes, odors, scents/perfumes, tickle, irritation in the throat/paralaryngeal region, or talking.
  • Persistent cough despite treatment of ALL the major contributors of cough (items listed below would be done as part of a standard clinical workup for chronic cough and are not done specific to this study):

  • Reflux disease treatment with one of the following: failure of two months of PPIs OR negative pH study
  • Asthma: lack of response to at least one month of steroid inhaler/bronchodilator OR normal PFTs/negative methacholine challenge + negative CXR/CT
  • Upper airway cough syndrome/Allergic disease: lack of response to at least one month of antihistamines/decongestants/nasal steroids OR negative allergy testing (skin or serum) OR lack of response to at least one year of immunotherapy/allergy shots

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age less than 18 years
  • Patients unable or unwilling to provide informed consent
  • Known etiology to cough other than sensory neuropathy (e.g., reflux disease, asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  • Addition of new neuromodulators at the time of the injection. Patients who were already being treated with neuromodulators for their cough (e.g., gabapentin, amitriptyline) will not be excluded provided their dose remains constant.
  • Nissen fundoplication within the last year
  • Smoking history within last 5 years
  • Allergy to bupivacaine or Kenalog-40

Study Design

Enrollment

50 participants

Anticipated

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

SLN intervention group

Participants will undergo a superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) block

Interventions

superior laryngeal nerve block

A unilateral injection of 2 cc of a 1:1 mixture of 0.25% bupivacaine and Kenalog-40 via a 27 gauge needle to the thyrohyoid space (front of neck, just above larynx/voice box) via a 27 gauge needle to the thyrohyoid space (front of neck, just above larynx/voice box) on the side which exhibited most discomfort/tenderness/cough on palpation. If neither side was uncomfortable, the right side will be used.

Primary outcome measure

  • Change in score on the Leicester Cough Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Baseline to 3 months ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Blake Simpson, MD

(205) 801-7863blakesimpson@uabmc.edu

Locations

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Recruiting

Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233

Contacts

Blake Simpson, MD

(205) 801-7864blakesimpson@uabmc.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Last update posted

May 8, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Keywords

  • chronic cough

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Alabama at Birmingham on 2026-05-08.