ArticleContemporary clinical trials communications2026
Effectiveness of transoral robotic surgery of the base of the tongue vs. conservative treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, a RCT, the RAPID study protocol.
Article in Contemporary clinical trials communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: CPAP is the gold standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but suffers from poor long-term compliance. Alternatives like mandibular advancement devices (MADs) and surgery, such as transoral robotic surgery (TORS), are available, but their comparative efficacy is unclear. Study objective: This study aims to evaluate whether base of the tongue (BOT) reduction using TORS is equal or superior to CPAP and MADs in improving quality of sleep and life in patients with moderate to severe OSA eligible for surgery. Study design: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Population: Patients eligible for TORS and CPAP or MAD aged >18 years with moderate to severe OSA (Apnea Hypopnea Index >15) untreated before. Interventions: In total 50 patients, 25 in each treatment arm will be randomized to either TORS or non-surgical therapy (CPAP or MAD depending on preference of patient or physician). Outcome measures: Primary outcomes will include improvement in sleep apnea severity measured through the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen desaturation index (ODI)4%. Secondary outcomes will assess long-term quality of life compared to non-surgical therapy and adherence to devices. Results: The data will be analysed on an Intention-To-Treat principle (ITT). Ethical approval was obtained from RTPO in September of 2023. Trial registration number: NL84446.099.23 METCnumber UMCG25.327. Outcomes will be published in peer reviewed journals and presented at (inter)national conferences. Discussion: Findings of this study will address the evidence gap in the comparative effectiveness of TORS versus non-surgical therapies for OSA and may inform future clinical decision making and guideline development.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.