Clinical Research Directory

Carotid Atherosclerosis : Innovative Imaging Biomarkers. Study Case-control

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) constitutes a major health public problem. This represents the second cardiovascular death cause. CVA is ischemic in 80% of cases. Atheroma of large arteries, mainly carotid, is involved in about 20% of cases. After several high grade studies (NASCET, ECST, ACAS, ACST), carotid surgery is based on stenosis calculation by Doppler ultrasound, CT angiography, MRI angiography or arteriography. The composition of the plaque, showing its vulnerability, is associated with embolic risk and stroke. The therapeutic strategy based only on the narrowing of the arterial lumen is not satisfactory enough to prevent the occurrence of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or an ipsilateral stroke due to carotid stenosis. Thus, new techniques emerge, to evaluate in vivo the inflammation of the plaque, its embolic consequences or the mechanical stress it undergoes. These techniques are: High Resolution MRI (HR MRI), evaluation of the Gray Scale Median (GSM) level, study of the plaque vascularization with Contrast Enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), High Intensity Transient Signals (HITS) by transcranial Doppler, micro RNA profile (mi RNA). These different modalities must be combined in order to increase the efficiency. Based on these encouraging results, the investigator aim at evaluating the ability of different methods or their combination to predict the occurrence of ischemic stroke or TIA due to emboli from a carotid atherosclerotic plaque. Before considering a cohort study, he investigator want to evaluate the performance of each of these new methods in the characterization of carotid plaque instability. Performance evaluation will allow us to choose secondarily the most relevant association. The investigator propose, as a first step, to make a case-control study with these methods, the cases are patients who had an ischemic stroke (authenticated by both the clinical exam and brain MRI) on the same side as the carotid stenosis and the controls are patients with carotid stenosis but without ischemic stroke. This study is a cross-sectional study because it simultaneously measures the occurrence of the event (ischemic stroke) and the characteristics of the atheromatous plaque. Over a 2 year period, 45 symptomatic patients and 105 asymptomatic patients will be included with a carotid stenosis with at least a 50% caliber constriction according to NASCET criteria. (North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial).

Remote Ischemic Conditioning Plus Stenting for Symptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis

Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has emerged as a promising non-invasive strategy to protect the brain, with evidence suggesting its benefit in patients with carotid artery stenting (CAS). However, the long-term benefit and safety of chronic RIC in this population remain unknown. This trial aims to evaluate whether chronic RIC reduces the incidence of major vascular events and improves clinical outcomes in high-risk patients with carotid artery stenosis who received CAS.

Radial Versus Femoral Access For Carotid Artery Stenting

Background: For moderate to severe carotid artery atherosclerotic stenosis, in the past decades, carotid artery stenting (CAS) has been an alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis. The transfemoral artery (TFA) using Seldinger's technique has been the most commonly used approach for CAS. The radial artery is an ideal puncture site for cerebrovascular intervention. Studies have shown that nerve intervention through radial artery approach can complete most cerebrovascular intervention procedures, including cerebral angiography, carotid artery stent implantation, vertebral artery stent implantation, intracranial artery stent implantation, mechanical thrombectomy, aspiration, intra-arterial thrombolysis and so on. However, the current studies are based on single center small sample studies, and there has been still a lack of large sample randomized controlled experiments to verify the safety and effectiveness of CAS in transradial artery (TRA) . Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of CAS via TRA in patients with carotid artery stenosis through a multicenter, prospective and randomized study. Study design: This study is a randomized, open label, multicenter, parallel controlled trial. A non-inferiority test is performed to compare the primary end point between the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group will undergo carotid stent implantation via radial artery approach, while the control group will use femoral artery approach. Study population: Adult patients with symptomatic carotid-artery stenosis ≥50% or asymptomatic stenosis ≥70%. Study outcomes: Primary end points: The incidence of death, or new-onset stroke, or myocardial infarction, or severe hemorrhage events within 30 days post-procedure Secondary end points:1.The incidence of death, or new-onset stroke, or myocardial infarction, or severe hemorrhage events within 48 hours post-procedure. 2. The incidence of death, new-onset stroke and myocardial infarction within 48 hours / 30 days post-procedure. 3. The incidence of death within 48 hours / 30 days post-procedure. 4. The incidence of new-onset stroke within 48 hours / 30 days post-procedure. 5. The incidence of myocardial infarction within 48 hours / 30 days post-procedure. 6. The incidence of severe hemorrhage events within 48 hours / 30 days post-procedure. Other end points: 1. Successful rate of cerebral angiography. 2. Successful rate of CAS. 3. Degree of patient-reported comfort. 4. Operation time. 5. NIHSS score changes within 5-7 days post-procedure. 6. mRS score score within 30 days post-procedure. Safety outcomes: 1.Occurrence of all adverse events. 2. AEs related to operation and device. 3. Incidence of adverse event of special interest.

Symptomatic Carotid Outcomes Registry

The purpose of this study is to build upon trials done over 30 years ago, which did not include statins, new antiplatelet agents, and newer antihypertensive medications. Since the landmark trials (NASCET, ECST), there have been new developments in medical stroke prevention, which creates a gap in knowledge. The aim of this study is to evaluate that clinical care with Intensive Medical Therapy (IMT) alone, the one year stroke rate in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis and low risk clinical features will be \<5%.

Research on Ultrasound Diagnostic Criteria for Intracranial and Extracranial Arterial Serial Stenosis

This study utilized different hemodynamic parameters of transcranial color-coded Doppler (TCCD) and transcranial Doppler (TCD) to conduct ultrasonic grading evaluation on middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis severity in patients with severe extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis, as well as intracranial V4 segment stenosis severity in patients with severe vertebral artery (VA) origin stenosis. The aim was to establish ultrasonic diagnostic criteria and provide reference basis for clinical treatment decision-making. Clarify the distribution of stroke risk factors, establish and evaluate stroke risk identification and prediction models. Patient cohort: Individuals undergoing carotid artery stenting or vertebral artery stenting, including those with either 1) severe extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis combined with ipsilateral MCA tandem stenosis, or 2) unilateral severe vertebral artery origin stenosis combined with intracranial V4 segment tandem stenosis. Collected data included demographic information, vascular ultrasound findings, and imaging examination results. All patients underwent a 1-year follow-up investigation documenting follow-up vascular ultrasound results, laboratory test results, imaging findings, clinical symptoms (ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, hemorrhagic stroke), and occurrence of endpoint events.

Residual Stenosis and Restenosis Following Carotid Endarterectomy With Primary Closure, A Prospective Tracking Study

This prospective, multicenter observational study aims to evaluate the incidence, timing, and characteristics of residual and recurrent (restenosis) carotid artery stenosis following carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with primary closure. Conducted across several neurosurgical centers in the Czech Republic, the study will include patients undergoing elective CEA who meet standard clinical indications. Participants will undergo preoperative CT angiography and follow-up imaging at 30 days and 1 year post-surgery. Residual stenosis is defined as ≥50% luminal narrowing detected within 30 days postoperatively, while restenosis is evaluated at later time points. The study will also assess clinical outcomes such as ischemic stroke, TIA, myocardial infarction, and mortality. The standardized surgical technique and harmonized diagnostic algorithm across all centers aim to provide robust data on the performance and durability of primary closure CEA.

Endovascular Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases Guided by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Technology（CVD-OCT）

OCT techniques have been used in the assessment of both intracranial and extracranial lesions.(1) Preprocedural evaluation: The morphologic characteristics of carotid atherosclerotic plaques can be evaluated by OCT before surgery to identify vulnerable plaques and guide interventional therapy. It has been shown that plaque image features observed by OCT and based on the "thin fibrous cap" characteristics of plaques can predict rupture and thrombotic risk of atherosclerotic plaques. Similarly, the results of studies based on OCT plaque features suggest that OCT plaque features can be used for the identification of symptomatic carotid plaques.The results of studies based on OCT plaque characteristics suggest that OCT plaque characteristics correlate with the degree of carotid stenosis and ischemic symptoms. Therefore, it is important to use OCT to assess plaque characteristics prior to cerebrovascular interventions and to identify high-risk plaques that are prone to cause ischemic events, in order to guide carotid interventions, especially for patients whose stenosis has not reached the level of intervention, but who have not yet reached the level of ischemic events, or who are at risk of ischemic events.lesions with stenosis not reaching the level of intervention but with the presence of vulnerable plaques are of great significance.(2) Evaluation of immediate post-interventional outcomes: Currently, OCT has been used to evaluate the expansion rate of the relevant stent immediately after stenting, stent adherence, protrusion of diseased tissue into the lumen of the vessel, and in-stent thrombosis.In addition, in acute occlusion recanalization of intracranial vessels, the application of OCT can identify the nature of lesions during treatment, such as clips, atherosclerotic stenosis, and other lesions, and guide the development of surgical strategies. (3) Interventional follow-up: OCT can be used in post-interventional follow-up for post-stenting endothelial repair, in-stent restenosis, de novo atherosclerosis, and thrombus formation. In summary, OCT can accurately assess the nature of cerebrovascular lesions and plaques and guide clinical interventions.For medical centers that have the conditions, it is recommended to standardize the application of OCT to guide the interventional precision treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease.In the future, a clinical study database of OCT in Chinese patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease should be established to provide evidence-based medical evidence of OCT in the diagnosis and treatment

Multicentric Study on Clopidogrel Resistance in DAPT for CAS (MULTI-RESCLOSA)

Spontaneous prospective observational multicentre pharmacological study that aims to evaluate whether, from a statistical point of view, there is a significant difference between the use of Ticagrelor in "non-responders" patients to Clopidogrel undergoing carotid stenting and Clopidogrel in "responders" undergoing carotid stenting, in the onset of death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and bleeding events, 1 and 3 months after the procedure. Furthermore, the study aims to evaluate the possible preoperative clinical and pharmacological factors most associated with the phenomenon of resistance to Clopidogrel. Inclusion criteria: The data will be collected on adult patients (age\> 18 years) who have given their consent to participate in the study, belonging to the U.O. of Vascular Surgery of the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato and the U.O. of Vascular Surgery of the participating centers and there subjected to the treatment of carotid stenosis by stenting technique. Exclusion criteria: Those patients who are minors, who have not given their consent to participate in the study, or who have carotid stenosis not susceptible to intervention by stenting will be excluded from the study. Pregnant or lactating women will also be excluded from the study (such as situations in which carotid stenting is contraindicated regardless of the execution of the study).

Predictive Value of Neovascularization Within Asymptomatic Carotis Stenosis on CEUS

Atherosclerosis is a chronic, systemic and progressive disease affecting different arterial blood vessels in the body. Atherosclerotic lesions silently progress from small plaques to severe stenosis and may remain asymptomatic for years. Unstable plaques and stenosis (also called vulnerable plaques), however, are prone to rupture leading to myocardial infarction, or stroke. The proliferation of the small arteries that are distributed to the outer and middle coats of the larger blood vessels (vasa vasorum) and within the atherosclerotic plaques (neovascularization) are inherently linked with the atherosclerotic plaque development, plaque inflammation and vulnerability. By injecting ultrasound contrast agents (microbubbles) into the blood stream, it is possible to detect this microcirculation of the vessel wall and the neovascularization within the atherosclerotic plaque using a contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging technique. Particularly, CEUS of the carotid artery has been introduced as a non-invasive technique to improve detection of carotid atherosclerosis and to evaluate the presence of carotid plaque neovascularization which has emerged as a new marker for plaque vulnerability. The project investigates the predictive value of the detection of carotid plaque neovascularization on CEUS imaging in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis regarding the progression of the carotid atherosclerotic lesion and future vascular events including myocardial infarction, stroke or vascular intervention. The investigators hypothesize that neovascularization within the carotid lesion will significantly be more pronounced in patients with progressive carotid lesions and in patients suffering future vascular events during. The project will support the concept that intraplaque neovascularization is associated with plaque instability and vulnerability and therefore, the use of CEUS may provide an additional non-invasive, simple, safe, and reliable imaging modality to risk stratify individuals. The identification of vulnerable that are at increased risk of rupture by identification of intraplaque neovascularization is expected to improve the prediction of future vascular events and thus allow for better treatment selection. It will help the clinician to further risk stratify carotid stenosis. Particularly, it will help to identify unstable carotid stenosis that may already benefit from invasive therapy as carotid thromboendarterectomy and stenting.

Monitoring of Brain Metabolites Using Proton and Deuterium MR Techniques

MR pulse for whole brain optimal Deuterium (2H) Metabolic Imaging and EPSI (echo planar spectroscopic imaging) based SLOW-edited 1H-MRSI will be developed and optimized for use at an UHF scanner at 7 Tesla. The study has 4 phases. Phase I: The 2H and 1H MRSI sequences are developed and optimized in vitro (phantoms) Phase II: Sequences are applied in vivo in healthy volunteers and further optimized Phase III: Optimal 2H 1H pulse sequences are applied in 4 cohorts of healthy volunteers, to study the effect of aging with whole brain 2H and 1H MRSI. Phase IV: application of the sequences in 4 patient groups with different diseases: Alzheimer's diseases (AD) patients, diabetes mellitus type II (DM) patients, mild cognitive impaired (MCI) patients, and high grade carotid stenosis patients (HGCS). The ultimate aim is to create for individual patient specific 3dimensional spatial resolved z-score maps (similar to FDG-PET) based on the healthy control data of phase III of the trial.

The Management of Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis

Carotid stenosis are asymptomatic if no hemispheric or retinal symptoms have appeared in the 6 months preceding the discovery of the stenosis. Asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS) accounts for about ¾ of all carotid lesions. The goal of treating carotid stenosis is to prevent a stroke. While carotid surgery is recommended in the elderly patients in cases of symptomatic carotid stenosis, that of ACS in patients over 75 years old, even when tight, remains subject to many controversies. Indeed, the debate, concerning the benefit to be expected from a surgical procedure or a possible angioplasty procedure, is not yet closed. The aim of our study, through a retrospective evaluation of the results of all consecutive carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and stenting in the participating center.

Transcutaneous ARFI Ultrasound for Differentiating Carotid Plaque With High Stroke Risk

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States and around the world. The goal of this work is to develop and test a noninvasive ultrasound-based imaging technology to better identify patients at high risk of stroke so that appropriate and timely intervention may be administered to prevent it.

Efficacy and Outcome of Carotid Endarterectomy for Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis

Neurovascular complications can result from this procedure usually from thromboembolism from the operated vessel, cerebral hypoperfusion causing ischaemia and, rarely, intracerebral haemorrhage. The overall incidence of perioperative strokes complicating CEA is approximately 4% ,and represents a devastating outcome that the procedure was designed to prevent. Other neurological sequelae complicating carotid revascularisation include cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome, cranial and peripheral nerve injuries, and contrast encephalopathy in patients undergoing CAS. The aim of this study is To evaluate the safety and efficacy of carotid endarterectomy for symptomatic carotid Stenosis patients

Reconstruction of the Carotid Bifurcation in Patients With Arterial Hypertension of 2-3 Degrees

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is a well-established procedure for preventing ischemic brain damage. Stenosis of the precerebral vessels are often combined with arterial hypertension. In recent decades, many works have appeared that indicate that the course of arterial hypertension (AH) changes after CEA. However, it remains unknown how this is related to the choice of surgical tactics.

Carotid Endarterectomy Versus Carotid Artery Stenting in Asymptomatic Patients

The trial randomise patients with asymptomatic carotid artery narrowing in whom prompt physical intervention is thought to be needed, but there there is still substantial uncertainty shared by patient and doctor about whether surgery or stenting is the more appropriate choice. The study is looking at immediate risks (within one month)and at long term benefits

Selective Coronary Revascularization in Carotid Artery Disease Patients After Carotid Revascularization (SCORECAD Trial)

The primary objective of this study is to determine whether among symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CAS) patients with no known coronary artery disease (CAD) who had undergone carotid artery revascularization (endarterectomy of stenting) a strategy of best medical therapy (BMT) plus selective coronary revascularization based on FFRct assessment of lesion-specific coronary ischemia can reduce adverse cardiac events and improve survival compared to BMT alone. Lesion-specific coronary ischemia is defined as FFRCT ≤0.80 distal to stenosis in a major (≥2 mm) coronary artery with severe ischemia defined as FFRCT ≤0.75.

Carotid Artery Stenting During Endovascular Treatment of Acute Stroke

Rationale: Approximately 20% of the patients with acute ischemic stroke due to an intracranial large vessel occlusion (LVO) has a high-grade stenosis in the ipsilateral cervical carotid artery. It is uncertain whether immediate carotid artery stenting (CAS) of a cervical carotid artery stenosis during endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is beneficial. Immediate CAS could improve cerebral perfusion and prevent recurrent ischemic stroke but could also increase the chance of intracranial hemorrhagic complications due to hyperperfusion syndrome or to the required antiplatelet treatment to prevent stent occlusion. Moreover, some patients end up with a severe disabling stroke after EVT. In these patients carotid revascularization by carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or CAS would usually not be performed but these patients would be treated by medical management only. Objective: to assess the safety and efficacy of immediate cervical CAS during EVT in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to LVO with a high-grade stenosis \>50% or occlusion of the ipsilateral cervical carotid artery. Study design: prospective randomized open label controlled trial comparing immediate CAS during EVT versus EVT with deferred treatment of the cervical carotid artery lesion (deferred CAS/CEA or medical management alone). Outcome assessment will be blinded for treatment allocation.

Cognitive Improvement After Carotid Stenting in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Trial

The purpose of CARE-HBOT study is to evaluate whether patients with symptomatic severe carotid artery stenosis with cognitive impairment who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy plus standard medical treatment after stent implantation could improve their cognitive function compared with those who underwent standard postoperative medical treatment.

Differences of the Postoperative Outcome for Carotid Surgery Patients Treated by Either Male or Female Surgeons

This research will focus on the differences of the postoperative outcome for carotid surgery patients treated by either male or female surgeons. Since 2012, in Germany, the surgical treatment of carotid stenosis has an established quality assurance, making the thematic especially suitable for testing the surgical results of either male or female surgeons.

Risk Prediction Model for Cerebrovascular Events in Carotid Artery Stenosis

Atherosclerotic carotid artery stenosis is a major cause of stroke, and early identification of high-risk patients combined with surgical intervention can significantly reduce stroke risk. Currently, stroke risk assessment in patients with carotid artery stenosis primarily relies on imaging indicators such as plaque morphology, composition, and degree of stenosis, with less emphasis on indicators directly related to inflammation, hemodynamics, and plaque instability. Certain circulating metabolites are closely linked to plaque progression and are direct risk factors for stroke. However, there is a lack of stroke risk prediction models for patients with carotid stenosis that incorporate these indicators, and the ability to identify high-risk patients needs improvement. This study proposes using deep learning technology to integrate multidimensional data from plaque imaging, fluid dynamics, circulating metabolomics, and proteomics to construct an accurate prediction model for cerebrovascular events in patients with carotid artery stenosis. Additionally, it aims to explore markers of plaque instability characteristics based on plaque pathology. The study is expected to provide a basis for identifying high-risk patients with carotid artery stenosis, thereby laying the foundation for reducing stroke risk and improving long-term patient outcomes.

Protection Against Emboli During Carotid Artery Stenting Using the Neuroguard IEP System

A prospective, multicenter single-arm, open label study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Neuroguard IEP System for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis in subjects at elevated risk for adverse events following carotid endarterectomy (CEA).

Endovascular Acute Stroke Intervention - Tandem OCclusion Trial

Patients with tandem occlusion or tandem lesion (TL), that is, stroke with an acute intracranial anterior circulation occlusion and an ipsilateral cervical ICA (c-ICA) high-grade stenosis or occlusion, constitute about 15-20% of patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). However, the optimal treatment of acute stroke patients with TL remains uncertain, as relatively few patients with TL were included in the major randomized controlled trials of EVT and management of the c-ICA was generally not specified by protocol nor analyzed post-hoc. Recent large multi-centre retrospective cases series suggest that acutely stented patients may have more favorable outcomes than patients treated with angioplasty alone or those with no acute ICA intervention, but high quality randomized trial data are lacking. EASI-TOC, a phase 3, academic multi-centre, controlled trial (PROBE design) with embedded pilot phase, will seek to determine if in patients undergoing acute intracranial thrombectomy for anterior circulation stroke with concurrent ipsilateral symptomatic high-grade (≥70%) atherosclerotic stenosis or occlusion of the extracranial ICA, endovascular ICA revascularization with stenting is superior to intracranial thrombectomy alone with regards to functional outcome at 90 days. Patients will be randomized to Acute stenting or No acute stenting (1:1 allocation).

TRAnscranial Doppler CErebral Blood Flow and Cognitive IMPAIRment in Heart Failure

TRACE-IMPAIR is a prospective, clinical study of consecutive patients that evaluates the relationship between heart failure (HF) and cognitive impairment in relation to carotid and cerebral flow. The carotid and cerebral flow will be assessed using Doppler ultrasonography, and cognitive function will be estimated during routine neuropsychological tests. It is an observational, three(natural)-group, single-center study. It is also an Academic Registry - the scientific activity of the Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, and John Paul II Hospital.

Simultaneous Cardiac Surgery and Micronet-covered Stent Carotid Revascularization in High Perioperative Stroke Risk Patients

Prospective, single-center, clinical registry of patients with symptomatic/critical carotid artery stenosis at risk of stroke coexisting with unstable or multivessel severe coronary artery disease and/or severe valvular heart disease undergoing endovascular treatment of carotid atherosclerosis using a mesh stent in combination with cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or valve surgery). A study involving clinical data evaluation of truly simultaneous treatment outcomes in patients deemed to require carotid revascularization at the time of surgical cardiac intervention (single-stage, simultaneous treatment). An open-label study, without randomization - a single arm study. Academic Registry - scientific activity of the Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University and John Paul II Hospital.