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Intracoronary Cryotherapy Effect on Stabilization of Vulnerable Plaque in Patients With (N)STEMI or Unstable Angina

Clinical Investigation of Intracoronary Cryotherapy Using the CryoTherapy System (CTS) for High-risk Plaque in Patients With (Non-)ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) or Unstable Angina

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05600088
Acronym
POLARSTAR
Enrollment
30
Registered
2022-10-31
Start date
2022-05-18
Completion date
2026-07-31
Last updated
2026-03-24

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

Conditions

Atherosclerosis, Coronary, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Syndrome, Cryotherapy Effect, Myocardial Disease, Myocardial Infarction

Brief summary

The POLARSTAR study is an early safety and feasibility study to evaluate the performance and safety of the CryoTherapy System (CTS) for the treatment of coronary plaque lesions that are not obstructing blood flow but are at high-risk of rupture which would cause a major heart attack. The CTS is used to apply local freezing of the lesion using a balloon catheter, controlled by a console that regulates in- and outflow of a cooling agent into the catheter. The treatment is expected to stabilize the lesion, diminishing the risk of rupture. The study will enrol subjects with acute coronary disease who have suitable coronary lesions. Subjects will be followed for 1 year after the CTS treatment. Baseline identification of lesions will be done using Coronary CT-angiography (CCTA), which will be repeated at 3 and 9 months after procedure.

Detailed description

The POLARSTAR study is an early feasibility study to evaluate the safety and performance of the CryoTherapy System (CTS) medical device, consisting of a console and a balloon catheter. The CTS is designed to deliver local cryo-energy to vulnerable plaque lesions in the coronary arteries, aiming to stabilize the plaque to reduce the risk of rupture and subsequent cardiac events. The study will enrol up to 10 subjects with NSTEMI or unstable angina, who underwent successful Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) of their culprit coronary lesion, and who were identified to have presence of at least 1 non-culprit suitable plaque lesion at high-risk of rupture. After providing informed consent the subjects will undergo a Coronary CT-angiography (CCTA) to confirm suitability of the coronary plaque lesion. A single high-risk plaque lesion will be treated by the investigators, with Intra-vascular Ultrasound (IVUS) imaging prior to and after CTS treatment. Subjects will be followed clinically for up to one year after the CTS treatment, and will have follow-up CCTA assessments at 3 and 9 months post-procedure. Primary endpoint will be Major cardiac events rate at 3 months post procedure.

Interventions

DEVICECryoTherapy System (CTS)

local cryotherapy of coronary high-risk plaque lesions using the CTS consisting of a semi-compliant balloon and a console controlling the temperature of cryotherapy

Sponsors

Cryotherapeutics SA
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY
CoreAalst BV
CollaboratorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
DEVICE_FEASIBILITY
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

up to 10 subjects with NSTEMI or unstable angina undergoing cryotherapy treatment of coronary vulnerable plaque lesions. Once This safety cohort has been enrolled, additional 20 subjects will be enrolled to further confirm feasibility and safety of the device.

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

1. Subject is at least 18 years old. 2. Subject has acute cardiac pain/angina consistent with acute coronary syndrome eligible for coronary angiography meeting one of the following criteria: 1. (Non-)ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction ((N)STEMI) with rise/fall of cardiac enzymes (troponin I or T) with at least one value above the 99th percentile of the upper reference limit requiring PCI within 72 hours from diagnosis 2. Unstable angina 3. Successful PCI (defined as diameter stenosis less than 30% and TIMI 3 flow on final angiography without procedural complication) of the culprit lesion. 4. Subject has at least one high-risk plaque meeting the criteria below: 1. Located in a non-culprit vessel, 2. High-risk plaque lesion on CCTA and at least one of the following features: 1. Presence of low-attenuation plaque (HU\<50) and/or 2. Positive remodelling (remodelling index \>1.1) and/or 3. Napkin ring sign and/or 4. Plaque burden ≥70% 3. Lesion length ≤ 20 mm. 4. Diameter stenosis on invasive angiography between 30% and 70% on coronary angiogram or negative physiology assessment (FFR\>0.80 or non-hyperemic pressure ratios (NHPR) \>0.89). 5. Reference vessel diameter (RVD) \< 3.75 mm and \> 2.00 mm in diameter 6. Investigator considers that lesions are accessible. 7. If more than two suitable lesions available, investigator will select the most appropriate lesion for cryotherapy treatment. 5. Subject is able to provide consent and has signed and dated the informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

1. Subject is hemodynamically unstable (cardiogenic shock, hypotension needing inotropes, hypoxia needing intubation, refractory ventricular arrhythmias, and IABP). 2. Subject has ongoing ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. 3. Subject had a procedural complication during the Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) PCI procedure. 4. Subject has history of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) or planned CABG within 12 months after the index procedure. 5. Subject has known reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction \< 30%. 6. Subject has known severe valvular heart disease. 7. Subject has known severe renal insufficiency (eGFR \<30 ml/min/1.72 m2). 8. Subject has any life-threatening conditions or medical comorbidity resulting in life expectancy \< 12 months. 9. Subject is currently participating in another clinical investigation that has not yet reached its primary endpoint. 10. Subject is pregnant or lactating, or NOT surgically sterile (tubal ligation or hysterectomy) or NOT postmenopausal for at least 6 months or is a female with childbearing potential without effective contraception (pill, patch, ring, diaphragm, implant and intrauterine device). Angiographic

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Safety: Rate of Cryotherapy related adverse events90 days post-procedureAny cryotherapy procedure related complication defined as coronary artery dissection (angiographic dissection ≥ NHLBI type B), acute vessel closure, life threatening arrythmia, need for bailout stenting, or any Major Adverse Cardia Event (MACE) defined as cardiac death, CTS-treated vessel myocardial infarction, CTS-treated lesion revascularization, rehospitalization for unstable or progressive angina adjudicated to the CTS-treated lesion

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Safety: Rate of Cryotherapy related events1 year post-procedureAny cryotherapy procedure related complication defined as coronary artery dissection (angiographic dissection ≥ NHLBI type B), acute vessel closure, life threatening arrythmia, need for bailout stenting, or any MACE defined as cardiac death, CTS-treated vessel myocardial infarction, CTS-treated lesion revascularization, rehospitalization for unstable or progressive angina adjudicated to the CTS-treated lesion
Device successend of CTS treatmentNumber of lesions successfully treated without device deficiency
CTS procedure successend of CTS treatmentNumber of lesions successfully treated to obtain Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 3 flow
Imaging: CCTA assessed Minimum lumen area (MLA)90 days post-procedureChange in MLA (mm²) compared to baseline
Imaging: CCTA assessed area stenosis3 months post-procedureChange in area stenosis % compared to baseline
Imaging: CCTA assessed lesion plaque burden3 months post-procedureChange in lesion plaque burden % from baseline
Imaging: CCTA assessed Total plaque volume3 months post-procedureChange in total plaque volume (mm³) from baseline

Countries

Georgia, Lithuania

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORIrakli Gogorishvili, MD

Israeli_Georgian research Clinic Helsicore, Tbilisi, Georgia

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 25, 2026