Endovascular Thrombectomy

Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) improves outcomes in patients with acute large vessel occlusion (LVO). However, despite successful recanalization rates exceeding 80%, fewer than 50% of patients achieve favorable functional outcomes at 90 days, indicating a high rate of futile recanalization. Potential mechanisms include no-reflow, reperfusion injury, and microcirculatory dysfunction, which are closely associated with post-recanalization neuroinflammation. Minocycline is a second-generation tetracycline with pleiotropic neuroprotective effects, including inhibition of microglial activation, reduction of inflammatory mediators, suppression of matrix metalloproteinases, attenuation of oxidative stress, and preservation of blood-brain barrier integrity. Prior preclinical and clinical studies suggest that minocycline may improve neurological outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. This study is a multicenter, prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adjunctive minocycline in patients with acute anterior circulation LVO who achieve successful recanalization after EVT. The trial will assess whether early administration of minocycline improves functional outcomes and reduces futile recanalization.

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a leading cause of mortality and long-term disability worldwide. Among these, stroke caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO) are associated with particularly poor outcomes. Multiple randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) significantly improves clinical outcomes in patients with acute LVO and is recommended as the standard of care by current guidelines. Posterior circulation strokes account for approximately 20% of all ischemic strokes and are generally associated with worse prognosis than anterior circulation strokes, especially in patients with basilar artery occlusion, who have a markedly increased risk of death or severe disability. Despite EVT treatment, more than three-quarters of these patients remain dead or functionally dependent at 90 days, indicating substantial room for improvement. Successful recanalization and restoration of effective cerebral perfusion are critical for achieving favorable outcomes. However, although recanalization rates exceed 80% with current thrombectomy techniques, fewer than 40 of patients achieve good functional outcomes at 90 days, suggesting a high incidence of futile recanalization. The underlying mechanisms may include no-reflow, reperfusion injury, and microcirculatory dysfunction, all of which are closely associated with post-recanalization neuroinflammation. Minocycline is a second-generation tetracycline with pleiotropic neuroprotective properties, including inhibition of microglial activation, reduction of inflammatory mediators, suppression of matrix metalloproteinases, attenuation of oxidative stress, and preservation of blood-brain barrier integrity. Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that minocycline may improve neurological outcomes in patients with AIS. This study is a multicenter, prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adjunctive minocycline in patients with acute posterior circulation arterial occlusion who achieve successful recanalization after EVT. The trial will assess whether early administration of minocycline improves functional outcomes and reduces the incidence of futile recanalization.

This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, to determine the efficacy and safety of cTBS in treating patients with acute ischemic stroke after endovascular treatment.

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of plasma adsorption for patients of acute ischemic stroke who underwent endovascular thrombectomy due to large vessel occlusion of anterior circulation.

To Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of the Super-Bore 8/7F Thrombosis Aspiration Catheter in the Treatment of Acute Intracranial Large Vessel Occlusion.

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by intracranial large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the anterior circulation significantly contributes to stroke-related disability and mortality. Recent randomized controlled trials have demonstrated substantial benefits of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) when patients are appropriately triaged beforehand. However, accurately orienting the 'missed segment' during EVT remains challenging. Guide-wires often fail to navigate through the occlusion or are mistakenly directed into the small tranches or even cause vessel rupture. To address this clinical need, the investigators developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to automate the reconstruction of CT angiography (CTA), focusing on the occluded LVO segment. To evaluate the clinical utility of this AI algorithm, the investigators propose a prospective, stepped-wedge cluster-randomized study to determine whether integrating our AI algorithm into AIS care flow can reduce the time for first pass of the thrombus by improving the visualization of the occluded segment on CTA. Physicians will assess patient eligibility for thrombectomy, and all selected patients will receive standard care according to current guidelines. This approach is expected to enhance patient treatment outcomes for endovascular thrombectomy by leveraging readily available data.

Rationale: Distal Medium Vessel Occlusion (MeVO) are thought to cause as many as 25% to 40% of all acute ischemic strokes (AIS). Despite their relatively high frequency, there is no consensus regarding the optimal management of these patients. However, the fact that AIS related to MeVO often results in significant disability despite best medical treatment (including intravenous thrombolysis, IVT) calls for novel treatment approaches. Fortunately, a growing number of non-randomized studies have now been published demonstrating the feasibility of endovascular treatment (EVT) for MeVO strokes. These studies have demonstrated that distal EVT leads to high rates of successful reperfusion and may be performed with a comparable safety profile to that of EVT for proximal arterial occlusions. Therefore, a strong rational exists to test the safety and efficacy of EVT for MeVO stokes in a prospective randomized clinical trial. Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the hypothesis that endovascular thrombectomy is superior to standard medical management in achieving more favorable outcomes according to the modified Rankin Scale scores at 90 days in subjects presenting with acute ischemic stroke related to a distal medium vessel occlusion within 24 hours from symptom onset (defined as time last know well, TLKW). Secondary objectives include the assessment of the cost-effectiveness of endovascular thrombectomy in the medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) population as well as its impact on health-related quality of life. Study design: The study is a prospective, multicenter, investigational, randomized, controlled, open-label study with blinded endpoint evaluation (PROBE design) and an adaptive design with population enrichment. Study population: Subjects presenting with acute ischemic stroke within 24 hours from TLKW and whose strokes are attributable to a distal medium vascular occlusion defined as co/non-dominant M2 segment or M3 segment of the MCA, the ACA (A1, A2, or A3 segments), or the PCA (P1, P2 or P3 segments) with evidence of salvageable brain tissue on perfusion imaging, M2 segment vessel diameter should not exceed 2.0 mm. Primary outcome: Shift in distribution of all levels of the 90-day the modified Rankin Scale with levels 5-6 combined (mRS; 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-6) as assessed by structured assessment.

Studies from our lab indicated that long-term sedation is protective in mice with midbrain infarct. To assess whether post-operative sedation has protective effects on clinical outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (ET), a multi-center, randomized clinical trial will be carried out (POSET study). In POSET study, patients receiving ET for acute ischemic stroke under general anesthesia will be randomly assigned to the control group (Con group) and the post-operative sedation group (POS group). Patients in the Con group will be recovered and extubated immediately after the surgery, whereas those in the POS group will be sedated with propofol and dexmedetomidine for another 6hrs before extubation. The primary endpoint is the score on the modified Rankin Scale assessed at 90±7 days after randomization. The hypothesis is that patients in the POS group will have improved clinical outcome in 3 months after surgery.

We will conduct a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint trial with a non-inferiority design in patients who present 6 to 24 hours after symptom onset with LVO. Patients who meet eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned to the Non-perfusion or Perfusion group with a 1:1 ratio. In the Non-perfusion group, patients with penumbra-core mismatch (defined as the FLAIR Vascular Hyperintensity (FVH) extending beyond the boundary of the DWI cortical lesions) will receive EVT. In the Perfusion group, patients with perfusion mismatch (defined as regional cerebral blood flow (\<30%) \< 70 ml with mismatch ratio ≥ 1.8 and mismatch volume ≥ 15 ml) will receive EVT. Patients in both groups will receive guideline-based medical treatment. If patients in both groups do not meet the criteria for EVT, only guideline-based medical treatment will be administered.

The objective of this study is to create a comprehensive, multi-center, TRACK-LVO registry-linked cohort of consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusions (LVO) and presenting to each participating center beyond 24 hours from last known well, who are treated with either endovascular therapy (EVT) or the best available medical management (BMM).

Patients with ischemic stroke in the posterior circulation continue to have high rates of mortality and disability, even with aggressive treatment. We wanted to evaluate preoperative imaging to screen patients with a good prognosis from mechanical embolization. We assess the degree of ischemia by defining the pons-midbrain-medulla index (PMMI) and correlate the preoperative PMMI with the clinical prognosis of postoperative patients to verify the validity of PMMI in predicting the clinical prognosis of patients with embolization.