Clinical Research Directory

Posterior Circulation ASTRAL Prognostic Score

The goal of this study is to develop a prognostic score for ischemic posterior circulation strokes, based on our previous work on with the ASTRAL scores (Acute STroke Registry and Analysis of Lausanne) on overall stroke prognosis, intracranial occlusion, recanalization and stroke recurrences. The main question it aims to answer is the modified Rankin score in 3 months after the event. Participants will be patients with acute ischemic stroke of the posterior circulation with mRS priot to event \<3. All the data will be collected retrospectively from patients included in the ASTRAL registry between January 2003 and December 2021. The ASTRAL registry will be used as the derivation cohort of the score. Demographics, acute glucose, NIHSS score and acute imaging of each participant will be used from the derivation cohort in order to create an integer-based prognostic score. After internal validation, we plan to validate the score in external stroke registries to show its validity.

Predictors of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease in Posterior Circulation: a Cohort Study

Early identification of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) may impact the management of patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT). The aim of the study is to develop and validate a scoring system for pre-thrombectomy diagnosis of ICAD in posterior circulation large vessel/distal medium vessel occlusion strokes (LVOs/DMVOs).

Cerebrolysin as an Add-On Therapy to Standard Treatment of Basilar Artery Occlusion

The standard therapy for acute ischemic posterior circulation stroke (PCS) often leads to poor functional outcomes and high mortality rates, despite all advances in reperfusion therapy. Recent trials have shown that adding Cerebrolysin, a cerebral neuroprotective agent, to standard therapy for patients with acute ischemic anterior circulation stroke is safe and leads to improved functional outcomes. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of Cerebrolysin with standard treatment for patients with PCS secondary to basilar artery occlusion (BAO). The plan is to conduct a prospective, single-center, single-arm, open-label study with 20 acute basilar artery occlusion patients and premorbid modified Rankin Score (mRS) ≤3, treated with standard treatment (mechanical thrombectomy ± intravenous alteplase or conservative treatment) and Cerebrolysin as add-on therapy, compared with historical controls. Besides standard acute stroke assessment, standard treatment, and rehabilitation, the participants who meet the eligibility criteria will receive Cerebrolysin in a single-day dosage of 30 ml intravenously for 14 consecutive days. The participants will be closely monitored, and neuroimaging findings and clinical outcomes will be obtained during the drug administration period, on discharge, one month, and 3 months after the treatment onset. The primary endpoints are mRS (0-3) on day 90 and mortality rate 90 days after the stroke onset. The secondary endpoints are defined as a change in any type of intracerebral bleeding and a change of min. 2 points on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 24 hours, 14 days, 30 days, and 90 days post-stroke. The investigators hypothesize that adding Cerebrolysin to standard stroke treatment will improve clinical outcomes and reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with acute basilar occlusion compared to standard treatment alone.