Carotid Artery Diseases, Carotid Artery Plaque, Carotid Artery Stenosis, Carotid Artery Stenosis Asymptomatic
Conditions
Keywords
Carotid Artery Stenosis, Carotid Artery Plaque, Carotid Artery Disease, Carotid Artery Stenosis asymptomatic, Carotid artery stenosis biomarker, carotid artery nfl, carotid artery gfap, Carotid Artery Plaque Biomarker
Brief summary
Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide. The cause is usually either a blockage or a severe narrowing of a cerebral artery. An important part of stroke prevention is the diagnosis and clarification of stenosis in the arteries supplying the brain, both inside and outside the skull, in order to diagnose a high-grade stenosis at an early stage and offer the patient revascularization. In particular, asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis confronts the diagnosing physician with the question of whether revascularisation is necessary. Risk factors for stroke in asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis include contralateral TIA or cerebral infarction, male gender, rapid progression of the degree of stenosis, plaque morphology, clinically silent cerebral infarctions, Doppler sonographic evidence of microemboli or reduced vasomotor reserve. An established biomarker does not exist at this time. A candidate for such a biomarker in the blood is the protein "neurofilament light chain" (NFL), which is already established in the diagnosis of dementia. As a component of the cytoskeleton of neurons, it is released into the patient's blood when the cells are damaged and can be measured there. Another candidate is glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), a part of the cytoskeleton of glial cells that is also released into the blood when glial cells are damaged. A systematic investigation of the value of neurofilament light chain and the glial fibrillary acidic protein in the blood of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis is still lacking. VANGAS determines the value of NFL and GFAP from the blood of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis to determine associations with the degree of stenosis, the natural course of the stenosis (increase or decrease) and possible symptoms of the stenosis as well as the functional outcome after symptomatic stenosis.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Heinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 60- 80 years * 0-100 % stenosis of the internal carotid artery
Exclusion criteria
* Neurodegenerative diseases such as any form of dementia or Parkinson's disease * Polyneuropathy * Multiple sclerosis * Stroke (ischaemic or haemorrhagic) within the last 12 months * Transient ischaemic attack within the last 12 months * Neurotrauma within the last 12 months * Atrial fibrillation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Correlation of NF-L/GFAP with degree of stenosis (NASCET-Criteria) | 24 months | The amount of NF-L and GFAP in the blood of patients with stenosis of a brain-supplying artery correlates with the degree of the stenosis. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Correlation of NF-L/GFAP with functional outcome (modified rankin scale) | 24 months | The amount of NF-L and GFAP in the blood of patients with stenosis of a brain-supplying artery correlates with functional outcome after symptomatic stenosis |
| Correlation of NF-L/GFAP with progression of stenosis (NASCET-Criteria) | 24 months | The amount of NF-L and GFAP in the blood of patients with stenosis of a brain-supplying artery correlates with the progression of the stenosis (increase or decrease). |
| Correlation of NF-L/GFAP with future cerebral ischemia (Stroke / TIA) | 24 months | The amount of NF-L and GFAP in the blood of patients with stenosis of a brain-supplying artery allows differentiation between future symptomatic and asymptomatic stenosis |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Primary ContactMichael / John-Ih / MG Gliem / Lee, MD
Backup ContactRobin MD Jansen, MD
Outcome results
None listed