Carotid StenosisNCT01732523
Predictive Value of Neovascularization Within Asymptomatic Carotis Stenosis on CEUS
An observational study of Carotid Stenosis, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
Atherosclerosis is a chronic, systemic and progressive disease affecting different arterial blood vessels in the body. Atherosclerotic lesions silently progress from small plaques to severe stenosis and may remain asymptomatic for years. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Carotid Stenosis
- What is being tested?
- Contrast enhanced carotid ultrasound
- How many people
- 240 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- Oct 2012to Dec 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: In-and out-patients referred to our ultrasound laboratory for carotid ultrasound for a clinical indication (preoperative, carotid murmur, known carotid lesion) will be ask to participate in this clinical study and will be asked to undergo study carotid ultrasound including CEUS.
Who may be able to join
- Patients age > 18 years
- Asymptomatic (no history of cerebrovascular event in the corresponding vessel territory) ≥30% carotid stenosis on standard carotid ultrasound
Who cannot join
- History of previous carotid endarterectomy or carotid stenting.
- Heart failure (HYHA III or IV)
- Myocardial infarction (<7d)
- Severe pulmonal-arterial hypertension (pulmonal arterial pressure >90mmHg) based on clinical information (history of pulmonal arterial pressure, dyspnea on exertion New York Heart Association (NYHA) III and NYHA IV)
- pregnancy (pregnancy test in patients of childbearing age: <50 years and/or less than 2 years after menopause)
- Follow-up is not considered feasible
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Switzerland1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Unversity Hospital Basel, Angiology
Basel, 4031
Daniel Staub, MD, +41612655154, daniel.staub@usb.ch
Daniel Staub, MD
About this study
Official title: Predictive Value of Carotid Lesion Neovascularization Detected by Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in Patients With Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis
Atherosclerosis is a chronic, systemic and progressive disease affecting different arterial blood vessels in the body. Atherosclerotic lesions silently progress from small plaques to severe stenosis and may remain asymptomatic for years. Unstable plaques and stenosis (also called vulnerable plaques), however, are prone to rupture leading to myocardial infarction, or stroke. The proliferation of the small arteries that are distributed to the outer and middle coats of the larger blood vessels (vasa vasorum) and within the atherosclerotic plaques (neovascularization) are inherently linked with the atherosclerotic plaque development, plaque inflammation and vulnerability. By injecting ultrasound contrast agents (microbubbles) into the blood stream, it is possible to detect this microcirculation of the vessel wall and the neovascularization within the atherosclerotic plaque using a contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging technique. Particularly, CEUS of the carotid artery has been introduced as a non-invasive technique to improve detection of carotid atherosclerosis and to evaluate the presence of carotid plaque neovascularization which has emerged as a new marker for plaque vulnerability. The project investigates the predictive value of the detection of carotid plaque neovascularization on CEUS imaging in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis regarding the progression of the carotid atherosclerotic lesion and future vascular events including myocardial infarction, stroke or vascular intervention. The investigators hypothesize that neovascularization within the carotid lesion will significantly be more pronounced in patients with progressive carotid lesions and in patients suffering future vascular events during. The project will support the concept that intraplaque neovascularization is associated with plaque instability and vulnerability and therefore, the use of CEUS may provide an additional non-invasive, simple, safe, and reliable imaging modality to risk stratify individuals. The identification of vulnerable that are at increased risk of rupture by identification of intraplaque neovascularization is expected to improve the prediction of future vascular events and thus allow for better treatment selection. It will help the clinician to further risk stratify carotid stenosis. Particularly, it will help to identify unstable carotid stenosis that may already benefit from invasive therapy as carotid thromboendarterectomy and stenting.
- Conditions
- Carotid Stenosis
- Being tested
- Contrast enhanced carotid ultrasound
- Keywords
- Carotid stenosis, Vasa Vasorum, Ultrasonography
- Medical subject headings
- Carotid Stenosis
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Contrast enhanced carotid ultrasoundDiagnostic test
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| No treatment | No intervention Receives: Diagnostic Test: Contrast enhanced carotid ultrasound |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Vascular event or vascular intervention
The endpoint assessed will be the occurrence of any vascular event or vascular intervention. This composite end point includes any death of presumed vascular origin (fatal stroke, fatal myocardial infarction, sudden death, other vascular death), nonfatal stroke and TIA, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and any arterial vascular intervention that had not already been planned at the time of inclusion (eg, carotid surgery or angioplasty/stenting, coronary bypass, percutaneous coronary intervention, peripheral vascular surgery or angioplasty/stenting). All events and vascular interventions should be confirmed by hospital discharge report and medical files.
Measured: 10 years
Secondary outcomes (1)
Progression of carotid stenosis over time
progression of carotid stenosis over time (progression in the lesion area, lesion volume, and degree of stenosis) assessed by yearly repeated standard carotid ultrasound study. Based on the yearly repeated standard carotid ultrasound studies progression rate of the lesion area and the lesion volume can be quantified for each stenosis and specify as continuous variable in cm2/year (area progression/year) and in cm3/year (volume progression/year). Additionally, the progression of the grade of stenosis will be quantified as categorical variable by determining the change of the stenosis category over time (30-49%, 50-69%, 70-99%, 100%) (Stable stenosis or increase in 1, 2, or 3 categories over 5 years).
Measured: 10 years
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Nov 2012 (estimated)
- Study startOct 2012
- Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Carotid StenosisStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 240 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Swiss National Science Foundation
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Daniel Staub, MD, Principal investigator, University Hospital Basle, Angiology
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01732523
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- EK145/12
- Other IDs
- PZ00P3_142419/1
- Status last verified
- Mar 2025
- First submitted
- 16 Nov 2012
- Last updated
- 3 Apr 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Apr 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Predictive Value of Carotid Lesion Neovascularization Detected by Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in Patients With Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01732523
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EK145/12
- Conditions
- Carotid Stenosis
- Keywords
- Carotid stenosis, Vasa Vasorum, Ultrasonography
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 240 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Swiss National Science Foundation
- Study start
- Oct 2012 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 26 Nov 2012 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Atherosclerosis is a chronic, systemic and progressive disease affecting different arterial blood vessels in the body. Atherosclerotic lesions silently progress from small plaques to severe stenosis and may remain asymptomatic for years. Unstable plaques and stenosis (also called vulnerable plaques), however, are prone to rupture leading to myocardial infarction, or stroke. The proliferation of the small arteries that are distributed to the outer and middle coats of the larger blood vessels (vasa vasorum) and within the atherosclerotic plaques (neovascularization) are inherently linked with the atherosclerotic plaque development, plaque inflammation and vulnerability. By injecting ultrasound contrast agents (microbubbles) into the blood stream, it is possible to detect this microcirculation of the vessel wall and the neovascularization within the atherosclerotic plaque using a contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging technique. Particularly, CEUS of the carotid artery has been introduced as a non-invasive technique to improve detection of carotid atherosclerosis and to evaluate the presence of carotid plaque neovascularization which has emerged as a new marker for plaque vulnerability. The project investigates the predictive value of the detection of carotid plaque neovascularization on CEUS imaging in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis regarding the progression of the carotid atherosclerotic lesion and future vascular events including myocardial infarction, stroke or vascular intervention. The investigators hypothesize that neovascularization within the carotid lesion will significantly be more pronounced in patients with progressive carotid lesions and in patients suffering future vascular events during. The project will support the concept that intraplaque neovascularization is associated with plaque instability and vulnerability and therefore, the use of CEUS may provide an additional non-invasive, simple, safe, and reliable imaging modality to risk stratify individuals. The identification of vulnerable that are at increased risk of rupture by identification of intraplaque neovascularization is expected to improve the prediction of future vascular events and thus allow for better treatment selection. It will help the clinician to further risk stratify carotid stenosis. Particularly, it will help to identify unstable carotid stenosis that may already benefit from invasive therapy as carotid thromboendarterectomy and stenting.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| No treatment | – | Diagnostic Test: Contrast enhanced carotid ultrasoundNo intervention |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- In-and out-patients referred to our ultrasound laboratory for carotid ultrasound for a clinical indication (preoperative, carotid murmur, known carotid lesion) will be ask to participate in this clinical study and will be asked to undergo study carotid ultrasound including CEUS.
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Patients age > 18 years
- Asymptomatic (no history of cerebrovascular event in the corresponding vessel territory) ≥30% carotid stenosis on standard carotid ultrasound
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- History of previous carotid endarterectomy or carotid stenting.
- Heart failure (HYHA III or IV)
- Myocardial infarction (<7d)
- Severe pulmonal-arterial hypertension (pulmonal arterial pressure >90mmHg) based on clinical information (history of pulmonal arterial pressure, dyspnea on exertion New York Heart Association (NYHA) III and NYHA IV)
- pregnancy (pregnancy test in patients of childbearing age: <50 years and/or less than 2 years after menopause)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast enhanced carotid ultrasound | Diagnostic test | No treatment |
Primary outcome
Vascular event or vascular intervention
Time frame: 10 years
The endpoint assessed will be the occurrence of any vascular event or vascular intervention. This composite end point includes any death of presumed vascular origin (fatal stroke, fatal myocardial infarction, sudden death, other vascular death), nonfatal stroke and TIA, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and any arterial vascular intervention that had not already been planned at the time of inclusion (eg, carotid surgery or angioplasty/stenting, coronary bypass, percutaneous coronary intervention, peripheral vascular surgery or angioplasty/stenting). All events and vascular interventions should be confirmed by hospital discharge report and medical files.
1 secondary outcome
Progression of carotid stenosis over time
Time frame: 10 years
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Apr 2025.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Daniel Staub, MD principal investigator
University Hospital Basle, Angiology
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Carotid Stenosis, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Apr 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Daniel Staub, MD (+41612655154, daniel.staub@usb.ch), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Vascular event or vascular intervention (time frame: 10 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Apr 2025.