Active clinical trials for "Carotid Artery Diseases"

About 20% of strokes are caused by emboli deriving from a carotid plaque. In symptomatic patients with carotid stenosis grater than 70% the Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) reduces stroke risk by about 75% and is generally accepted as being cost effective. However also in these cases there is a part of the population that, according to the morphological plaque characteristics, could better benefit from a conservative medical treatment. Improving the Best Medical Treatment, the situation seems to be even less clear in asymptomatic patients, where probably it would need to treat at least 32 patients in order to prevent one single ictus. Different parameters have been considered in order to determine, among the asymptomatic patients the ones that more than others could benefit from a surgical revascularisation instead of a medical treatment. Between these parameters, the quality of the plaque (vulnerability) and the micro-embolic signals (MES) detection with the Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Holter seems to be the most relevant. Another interesting aspect is trying to establish whether plaques can determine a different embolic risk in relation to the different histological findings. Therefore, it seems interesting and reasonable trying to establish a correlation between these two parameters in asymptomatic patients as in the symptomatic ones in order to make more and more appropriate a surgical plaque removal according to the specific risk of each patient in a set of tailored surgery. It consists in a descriptive observational study, since it intends to describe the embolic signals detection (MES) counted in automatic way with the TCD Holter, in patients affected by carotid stenosis, before and after the surgical operation. In particular it consists in a monocentric, longitudinal, prospective cohort study since it intends to analyse a group of patients (already candidates to CEA) that experiences a specific event (MES) before and after the surgical plaque removal, in a precise span of time. Since the treatment, removing the plaque, should remove the embolic focus too, a significant reduction of microembolic signals in post-operative time is expected. This reduction has been esteemed around about the 70% among candidates to CEA. Patients taken on responsibility of the equipe will undergo an ultrasonographic investigation for the carotid stenosis, histological characterization of the plaque based on the Gray-Weale classification and TCD-Holter for MES.

To determine morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease among American Indians and to compare cardiovascular disease risk factor levels among Indian groups living in different geographic areas.

The role of methylase system and Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) in the accelerated atherosclerotic progression of diabetic patients is unclear. Authors will evaluate methylase activity and PCSK9 in carotid plaques of asymptomatic diabetic and non diabetic patients, as well as the effect of statin added to PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) therapy vs. statin alone in diabetic plaques. Plaques will be obtained from 43 type 2 diabetic and 30 non diabetic patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Diabetic patients will receive statin therapy (n 23) or statin plus PCSK9i (140 mg of evolocumab; n 20) or placebo (n 23) for 4 months before scheduled endarterectomy. Plaques will be analyzed for macrophages (CD68), T-cells (CD3), inflammatory cells (HLADR), methylase activity, nuclear factor (NF)-KB, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, nitrotyrosine, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and collagen content (immunohistochemistry and enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay. Authors' study hypothesis is that methylase and PCSK9 over-activity will be associated with enhanced inflammatory reaction and NF-KB expression in diabetic plaques. Secondly, the inhibition of methylase activity in atherosclerotic lesions of diabetic patients by metformin plus SLGT2i might be associated with morphological and compositional characteristics of a potential stable plaque phenotype, possibly by down regulating NF-KB-mediated inflammatory pathways.

Until the irruption of the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST), carotid stenting (CAS) has been mainly offered to those patients considered at "high risk" for open carotid endarterectomy (CEA) based on the available data from large randomized clinical trials. "High risk" has been defined as (1) patients with severe comorbidity (class III/IV congestive heart failure, class III/IV angina, coronary disease involving ≥ 2 major vessels, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 30%, myocardial infarction, severe pulmonary disease, severe renal failure) and (2) Technical/challenging anatomical criteria (previous neck surgery, cervical irradiation, contralateral carotid occlusion, post-endarterectomy restenosis, inaccessible lesions or tracheotomy). Several recent studies have called medical "high-risk" into question for CAS indication. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and perioperative and long-term effectiveness in patients with significant carotid artery stenosis with "high-risk" criteria (for CEA) treated with carotid stenting and proximal protection device (MOMA®) compared to patients with standard-surgical-risk features.

To determine whether postprandial lipoproteins were associated with atherosclerosis, and if so, whether the association was statistically independent of that between fasting lipoproteins and atherosclerosis.

This study intends to build a model through deep learning that can automatically and accurately detect plaques, calculate the lumen stenosis rate and evaluate the stability of plaques based on the carotid transverse axis dynamic ultrasound images and contrast-enhanced ultrasound images, so as to comprehensively evaluate the possibility of carotid plaques. cardiovascular risk. The successful development of this study will automatically simulate and reproduce the whole process of carotid plaque assessment by clinical sonographers. Solve the problem of ultrasonic inspection equipment and experience dependence. It is expected to carry out large-scale population intelligent screening, providing new ideas for early prevention and treatment. Especially in medically underdeveloped remote areas and the lack of experienced sonographers, it has great practical value in clinical health care and can bring greater social and economic benefits.

The aim of this study is to describe technique, efficiency, safety and satisfaction of ultrasound guided intermediate cervical plexus block for carotid endarterectomy. The investigators present a simple approach for carotid regional anaesthesia by an anterior way that has not been published yet.

The purpose of this study is to determine how well patients undergoing carotid artery angioplasty and/or stent-supported angioplasty for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis will perform on a battery of tests to assess brain function before and after the procedure. This study will serve as a pilot project: (a) to determine incidence of neurologic/neuropsychometric change in patients undergoing carotid artery angioplasty and/or stent-supported angioplasty, and (b) to ascertain the time it takes for these changes to resolve.

To collect clinical outcome and device performance data on the FDA 510(k)-cleared Emboshield® BareWire™ Rapid Exchange Embolic Protection System and FDA-approved Xact® Rapid Exchange Carotid Stent System when used under commercial use conditions by a broad group of physicians entering the study with differing carotid artery stenting experiences.

To evaluate common genetic variations, that in combination with exposure to tobacco smoke, may modify the risk of atherosclerosis.