Active clinical trials for "Carotid Stenosis"

This is a phase IV, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group study to determine the effect of Evolocumab treatment on carotid plaque morphology and composition in asymptomatic patients with >50% carotid artery stenosis.

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). The Neuroguard IEP System is a 3-in-1 carotid stent delivery system consisting of an angioplasty balloon, an integrated embolic protection device and a nitinol self-expanding stent loaded over the balloon and constrained by an outer sheath. Eligible patients between 20 and 80 years of age have been diagnosed with either de-novo atherosclerotic or post CEA restenotic lesion(s) in the internal carotid arteries (ICA) or at the carotid bifurcation with ≥50% stenosis if symptomatic or ≥80% stenosis if asymptomatic (both defined by angiography using NASCET methodology). Symptomatic patients are defined as having stroke or TIA ipsilateral to the carotid lesion within 180 days of the procedure within the hemisphere supplied by the target vessel. Enrolled subjects will be followed at 30 days, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months and 36 months.

A prospective, multicenter, single-arm, open label clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of MicroVention, Inc. Roadsaver™ Carotid Stent System used in conjunction with the Nanoparasol® embolic protection system for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis in patients with elevated risk for adverse events following carotid endarterectomy.

Both abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and carotid artery stenosis (CAS) are frequent clinical entities, with major morbidity and mortality. This project obtains robust data on the prevalence of AAA and CAS in the Brussels Capital Region. Using duplex ultrasound, a low invasive examination, we want to obtain information on a vast sample of men and women of the Brussels capital region, starting at the age of 60. With these data we can have a far better view on the Belgian situation of these two main vascular clinical entities. The data can provide insights on if, and how, Belgian public health policy can be improved concerning AAA and CAS.

Phase II study to evaluate the clinical potential of 68GaNOTA-anti-MMR-VHH2 for in vivo imaging of Macrophage Mannose Receptor (MMR)-expressing Macrophages by means of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in patients with oncological lesions in need of non-surgical therapy, patients with cardiovascular atherosclerosis, syndrome with abnormal immune activation and cardiac sarcoïdosis.

The aim of the study is to evaluate changes in retinal function by means of electro-functional examinations of the retina and to associate them with any changes in chorioretinal vascular density occurring in the ipsilateral eye after carotid revascularization surgery.

Stroke is the second leading cause of death in the Western world and the leading cause of major lifelong disability. About 15% of strokes are secondary to thrombosis or embolization of an unstable atheromatous carotid plaque. In these symptomatic patients, the degree of carotid stenosis is correlated with the risk of early recurrence. Patients with stenosis over 70% are therefore offered an endarterectomy, an operation to remove carotid plaque, to prevent future strokes[1]. In asymptomatic patients, the degree of stenosis is a limited predictor, and better risk stratification is required to assess the degree of plaque vulnerability and stroke risk of the patient. The therapeutic decision towards endarterectomy in addition to drug therapy is debated because of a variable and dependent benefit/risk balance for each patient. A number of imaging parameters have been studied: ulceration, heterogeneity, vascularization of the plaque for example, but their place is not well defined [2]. The usual evaluation of carotid stenosis is by conventional Doppler ultrasound with calculation of the degree of stenosis according to the NASCET criteria. For symptomatic stenoses the intervention is recommended when above 70% and is discussed from 50% to 70% of NASCET stenosis degree. For asymptomatic stenoses, the procedure is discussed when above 60% taking into account the patient's life expectancy, the risk of the surgery and the unstable nature of the plaque [2]. Destabilization of the carotid plaque is partially induced by inflammation associated with neo-vascularization. The detection of these new vessels by conventional contrast ultrasound has already shown a distinction between stable and unstable plaques, by the presence or absence of microbubbles in the plaque. However, this assessment is not very precise and only the most vascularized plaques can be detected. Ultrafast ultrasound Imaging is a new ultrasonic Imaging modality that allows detecting low speed flows, a tiny vascular structure within the vessel wall. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS Plaques neo-vascularization would be more precisely detected and characterized by ultrafast imaging coupled with microbubble injection than conventional ultrasound imaging. A better assessment of plaque instability could improve the selection of patients for carotid endarterectomy and increase the benefit/risk ratio of this preventive surgery.

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).

RECAS is a prospective cohort of 1,000 patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and undergoing revascularization therapy or standard medication treatment alone. The goal of this study is to validate whether CAS revascularization when compared to standard medication treatment alone, can effectively reduce the progression of Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) burden, as well as improve the severity of retinal pathologies and cognitive impairment. Therefore, Patients aged ≥ 40 years have more than 50% stenosis in unilateral carotid artery and sign informed consent will be recruited. In this study, patients will be asked to undergo Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA)/ Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA), Computed Tomography Perfusion (CTP),multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) and neuropsychological testing. Estimated follow-up can be up to 10 years.

Carotid artery disease is a main cause of ischemic stroke and vascular dementia, and a highly prevalent disease. There is uncertainty about the optimal management of patients with serendipitously or systematically detected asymptomatic carotid artery disease, due to the paucity of information on the predictive features of serious vascular events. While percent diameter stenosis is currently the accepted standard to decide about local interventions (carotid artery stenting or endarterectomy), international guidelines also recommend the evaluation of qualitative features of carotid artery disease as a guide to treatment. There is, however, no agreement on which qualitative features are best predictors of events. Furthermore, a role for metabolic plaque profile, local mechanical and hemorheologic factors in triggering microembolization and silent ischemic events has been proposed from experimental studies. This inadequate knowledge leads to a poor ability to identify patients at higher risk and to an unwarranted dispersion of medical resources, lack of standardization in diagnostic methods, and the use of expensive and resource-consuming techniques. Against this background, the investigators aim at: Prospectively identifying the best predictors of (silent and overt) ischemic stroke and vascular dementia in patients with asymptomatic subcritical carotid artery disease, by identifying the non-invasive diagnostic features of the "vulnerable carotid plaque" as a possible guide for optimal - local and systemic - treatment. Transferring new ultrasound techniques possibly improving risk prediction to the clinical field Assess whether "smart", low-cost diagnostic methods, such as ultrasound-based evaluations integrating established and advanced techniques, may yield at least the same level of prospective information as more expensive and less cost-effective techniques.