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Endovascular Revascularization for Chronic Carotid Artery Occlusion Trial

Endovascular Revascularization for Chronic Carotid Artery Occlusion Trial (ERCAO Trial) Part 1: Prospective Clinical Registry Study Part 2: Prospective Randomized Control Trial Study

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03179774
Acronym
ERCAO
Enrollment
200
Registered
2017-06-07
Start date
2017-05-17
Completion date
2025-12-31
Last updated
2025-07-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Carotid Occlusion

Brief summary

Revascularization for carotid artery occlusion (CAO) remained controversial, there is no prospective randomized control trial (RCT) regarding carotid artery stenting (CAS) in CAO patients. The investigators conduct a prospective study composed of clinical registry arm and RCT arm. The main purpose of the study is investigate neurocognitive function at 3 months and thereafter up to 12 months.

Detailed description

Carotid artery stenosis is an important cause of stroke. Carotid artery stenting (CAS) provides non-inferior clinical outcome comparing to carotid endarterectomy (CEA). However, revascularization for carotid artery occlusion (CAO) remained controversial, owing to failed extracranial-to-intracranial (EC-IC) artery bypass trials, anatomical hindrance for CEA, and technical limitation for CAS. In the past 10 years, the investigators devoted in endovascular therapy for CAO and published innovative and pilot study results regarding feasibility of CAS for CAO, neurocognitive function (NCF) improvement after successful CAS for CAO, and predictors for CAS success in CAO, all in high-ranking journals. Moreover, successful CAS for CAO would lead to lower mortality and stroke rate during long-term follow-up, according to the preliminary analysis from the investigators. However, there is no prospective randomized control trial (RCT) regarding CAS in CAO patients, and in fact, most of the CAS trials excluded CAO. The investigators, with the largest volume and experience in CAO recanalization in the world, felt obliged and responsible to propose the following RCT to evaluate endovascular revascularization for chronic CAO. The study composed of two parts. The first part composed of prospective clinical registry for CAO. The second part compose of a prospective superiority trial, rater blinded, with 1:1 randomization to evaluate the clinical efficacy of interventional therapy for CAO. Eligible candidates for CAO revealed by CT, ultrasonography, angiography, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with abnormal brain perfusion demonstrated by CT perfusion study (CTP) or MRI, will be enrolled in to study. If the participants agreed for randomization, participants will be randomized into 2 groups: the optimal medical therapy (OMT) group and the endovascular revascularization plus optimal medical therapy (ER+OMT) group. The primary end-point of the trial is the NCF improvement at 3 months and thereafter up to 12 months. The secondary endpoint includes: cumulative incidence of death and stroke within 30 days after the procedure; death or ipsilateral stroke between 31 days and 1 year; major stroke, ischemic stroke, or hemorrhagic stroke within 30 days after the procedure; major stroke, ischemic stroke, or hemorrhagic stroke between 31 days and 1 year; cognitive function measured by CANTAB; change of cerebral perfusion measured by CTP; target vessel revascularization rate; technique success rate; procedure success rate; and major procedure complication.

Interventions

All interventions will be performed via 8F femoral sheath. Target common carotid artery will be engaged with 8F JR 4 guiding catheter. Intra-luminal wiring using coronary guidewires and microcatheters or alternative subintimal tracking with antegrade re-entry technique. Wiring would be abandoned after 30 minutes of futile effort, consumption of more than 300 ml of contrast, or when the wire tip is confirmed to be extravascular. Once wire enters distal true lumen, the microcatheter was exchanged to a 1.5 mm diameter coronary balloon for pre-dilatation. Distal embolic protection device would be deployed if an adequate landing zone can be identified. Properly sized balloon expandable stents and self-expanding stents were then deployed to scaffold the occlusion. Balloon post-dilatation may be done if stent expansion was inadequate.

Sponsors

National Taiwan University Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Part 1: Clinical registry study (Optimal medical therapy group vs. Endovascular revascularization and optimal medical therapy) Part 2: Randomized control trial (Optimal medical therapy group vs. Endovascular revascularization and optimal medical therapy)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Part 1: Clinical registry study Inclusion criteria for clinical registry study * Patient age 20 years or older * Abnormal cerebral perfusion by CTP or MRI * No medical history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) ipsilateral to the carotid occlusion within 90 days of randomization * Women must not be of childbearing potential or, if of childbearing potential, have a negative pregnancy test prior to randomization.

Exclusion criteria

for clinical registry study * Patient has acute stroke within 90 days, * Intolerance or allergic reaction to a study medication without a suitable management alternative. * Patient is expected to have the ADP antagonist therapy interruption within 3 months after the procedure. * GI hemorrhage within 1 month prior to enrollment that would preclude antiplatelet therapy * Bleeding diathesis * Intracranial hemorrhage within the past 12 months. * Platelet count \<100,000/μl or history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. * Other high-risk cardiac sources of emboli, including left ventricular aneurysm, severe cardiomyopathy, aortic or mitral mechanical heart valve, severe calcific aortic stenosis (valve area \< 1.0 cm2), endocarditis, moderate to severe mitral stenosis, left atrial thrombus, or any intracardiac mass, or known unrepaired patent foramen ovale (PFO) with prior paradoxical embolism. * Any major surgery, major trauma, revascularization procedure within the past 1 month. * Acute coronary syndrome within the past 1 month or acute coronary syndrome (ACS) that is not amenable to revascularization (patients should undergo planned coronary revascularization at least 30 days before randomization). * Inability to understand and cooperate with study procedures or provide informed consent. * Patients with \< 5 years life expectancy * Concomitant vascular conditions precluding endovascular revascularization procedure; * Previous ipsilateral carotid artery stenting * Intracranial aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation; * Educational level lower than elementary school; * Aphasia or right-sided hemiparesis * Marked depression. * Severe dementia. Part 2: Randomized control study Inclusion Criteria for randomized control study * Patient age 20 years or older * Abnormal cerebral perfusion by CTP or MRI * No medical history of stroke or TIA ipsilateral to the carotid occlusion within 90 days of randomization * Patients must have a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤2 at the time of informed consent. * Women must not be of childbearing potential or, if of childbearing potential, have a negative pregnancy test prior to randomization. * Randomization will apply to only 1 carotid artery occlusion for patients with bilateral carotid occlusion. Intervention of the contralateral stenosis, should it exists, may be done in according to clinical indications at least 30 days prior to randomization.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
NCF improvement by verbal fluency test Color Trails Test Parts 1at 3 months and thereafter up to 12 monthsNeurocognitive function was evaluated by Color Trails Test Parts 1
NCF improvement by verbal fluency test Color Trails Test Parts 2at 3 months and thereafter up to 12 monthsNeurocognitive function was evaluated by Color Trails Test Parts 2
NCF improvement by Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog)at 3 months and thereafter up to 12 monthsNeurocognitive function was evaluated by ADAS-Cog
NCF improvement by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)at 3 months and thereafter up to 12 monthsNeurocognitive function was evaluated by MMSE.
NCF improvement by verbal fluency testat 3 months and thereafter up to 12 monthsNeurocognitive function was evaluated verbal fluency test

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Target vessel revascularization rateone yearTarget vessel revascularization rate
Procedure success rate30 daysProcedure success: the occlusion segment was stented with final residual diameter stenosis of \<20%, and establishing grade 3 antegrade TICI flow and without periprocedural complications.
Technique success rate30 daysTechnique success is defined if the occlusion segment was recanalized with final residual diameter stenosis of \<20%, and establishing grade 3 antegrade Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) flow.
Death and strokewithin 30 days after the procedure and between 31 days and 1 yearCumulative incidence of death and ipsilateral stroke
Major stroke, ischemic stroke, or hemorrhagic strokewithin 30 days after the procedure and between 31 days and 1 yearCumulative incidence of major stroke, ischemic stroke, or hemorrhagic stroke
Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB)at 3 months and thereafter up to 12 monthsThe CANTAB is a computerized test battery for cognitive function evaluation which has been validated and widely used worldwide. CANTAB tests are simple to administer and show strong correlations to brain constructs and known deficits in various disorders, as well as high sensitivity to interventions and small changes over time. It is designed to be administered by trained psychologists with standardized procedures. Tasks of the CANTAB involving practice and attention, memory, executive function and decision making would be administered to all the participants in this study.
Change of cerebral perfusionat 3 months and thereafter up to 12 monthsChange of cerebral perfusion measured by CT perfusion

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Major procedure complication30 daysMajor procedure complication includes intracranial hemorrhage, myocardial infarction, embolic stroke, vascular complication and death during endovascular revascularization or within 30 days after endovascular revascularization.
Bleeding complicationone yearany bleeding events during the study

Countries

Taiwan

Contacts

Primary ContactHsien-Li Kao, MD
hsienli_kao@yahoo.com+886-2-2312-3456
Backup ContactYing-Hsien Chen, MD
indiglo314@gmail.com+886-972652463

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026