StrokeNCT03050567
Reproducibility Study of Transcranial Doppler
An observational study of Stroke, run by University of Edinburgh at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
Hardening of the neck vessels (carotid arteries) caused by fatty deposits called 'plaques' is a common cause of strokes. Over time plaques can burst or may lead to a severe narrowing (stenosis) of the neck artery. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Stroke
- What is being tested?
- Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 17 Mar 2017to 9 Aug 2017
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
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
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Two cohorts of subjects including healthy volunteers and those with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis will be recruited in different ways. All subjects will undergo basic clinical evaluation prior to participation. In the second cohort, this will include assessment of relevant carotid artery and brain imaging investigations as well. Healthy volunteers will be recruited from the Centre for Cardiovascular Science at Edinburgh University by the Primary Investigator (PI). Patients with evidence of an acute neurovascular event (stroke, transient ischaemic attach and retinal ischaemia) due to a symptomatic carotid artery stenosis will be recruited from the acute TIA/Stroke clinics and inpatients at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by the responsible Consultant Neurologist or Stroke Physician. Once eligible patients are identified at this point PI will recruit subjects into the study.
Who may be able to join
- Healthy volunteers with no previous history of cerebrovascular disease and aged over 18 years old.
- Patients with symptomatic cerebrovascular event (stroke, transient ischaemic attack or amaurosis fugax) and image confirmed carotid artery stenosis of >30%. This will include patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy (>50% for men and >70% for women, by North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria) or treated conservatively with an optimal medical therapy (if patient declined surgical intervention or is outside surgical criteria for carotid endarterectomy).
Who cannot join
- Subjects unable to comply with the study procedures such as a severe disabling stroke.
- Inadequate temporal window for Transcranial Doppler assessment.
- Adults with incapacity.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United Kingdom1 site
Centre for Cardiovascular Science
Edinburgh, EH16 4SB
About this study
Official title: Reproducibility Study of Transcranial Doppler Microembolic Signals Detection in the Middle Cerebral Artery
Hardening of the neck vessels (carotid arteries) caused by fatty deposits called 'plaques' is a common cause of strokes. Over time plaques can burst or may lead to a severe narrowing (stenosis) of the neck artery. When plaques burst, small clots or fatty particles (called microemboli) break off, block brain vessels and lead to a stroke. Researchers have an incomplete understanding of the processes that cause hardening of the arteries, development of small clots and are unable to predict who will have a stroke. At present, the only ultrasound scan that evaluates circulation in the head and detects these small clots is called the Transcranial Doppler ultrasound. The aim of the study is to test this simple ultrasound technique to see if it can detect signals that may correspond to these small clots or fatty particles. The other objective is to see how repeatable the ultrasound technique is. This may help to identify patients with hardened neck arteries who are at higher risk of a recurrent stroke. This could also potentially improve patients selection to a targeted surgical or future novel pharmacological therapy.
- Conditions
- Stroke
- Being tested
- Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound
- Keywords
- Microemboli
- Medical subject headings
- Stroke
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Transcranial Doppler UltrasoundDiagnostic test
Transcranial Doppler will be performed on the symptomatic (ipsilateral to an index event) middle cerebral artery in a quiet temperature controlled room. The middle cerebral artery will be identified through the temporal window in a supine position with a flow direction towards the probe. The subject will have a head frame (Marc 600 Spencer Technologies, USA) fitted to reduce motion and to secure a constant angle of the middle cerebral artery insonation depth at 50-60 mm from the skull surface. All recordings will be made using the ST3 Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound System (Spencer Technologies, USA) with a 2-MHz transducer for 1 hour. Emboli will be detected by listening for their characteristic short audible sound (range 10-100 ms, intensity threshold above 7 dB) and spectral appearance using the International Consensus Group microembolus identification criteria and an automated Embolus Detection Software (Spencer Technologies, USA).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Volunteers | Healthy volunteers with no previous history of cerebrovascular disease and aged over 18 years old. Receives: Diagnostic Test: Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound | |
| Subjects with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis | Patients with symptomatic cerebrovascular event (stroke, transient ischaemic attack or amaurosis fugax) and image confirmed carotid artery stenosis of >30%. This will include patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy (>50% for men and >70% for women, by North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria) or treated conservatively with an optimal medical therapy (if patient declined surgical intervention or is outside surgical criteria for carotid endarterectomy). Receives: Diagnostic Test: Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Presence of microembolic signals in the Middle Cerebral Artery.
Measured: 14 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted13 Feb 2017
- Study start17 Mar 2017
- Primary completion1 Aug 2017
- Study completion9 Aug 2017
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for StrokeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- 40 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Edinburgh
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03050567
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AC16131
- Status last verified
- May 2017
- First submitted
- 16 Nov 2016
- Last updated
- 25 Jun 2018
- Results posted
- No
Publications
Kaczynski J, Home R, Shields K, Walters M, Whiteley W, Wardlaw J, Newby DE. Reproducibility of Transcranial Doppler ultrasound in the middle cerebral artery. Cardiovasc Ultrasound. 2018 Sep 11;16(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s12947-018-0133-z.
PubMed 30200977
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Jun 2018. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Reproducibility Study of Transcranial Doppler Microembolic Signals Detection in the Middle Cerebral Artery
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03050567
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AC16131
- Conditions
- Stroke
- Keywords
- Microemboli
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of EdinburghUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 17 Mar 2017 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Aug 2017 (actual)
- Study completion
- 9 Aug 2017 (actual)
- First posted
- 13 Feb 2017 (actual)
- 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.
Hardening of the neck vessels (carotid arteries) caused by fatty deposits called 'plaques' is a common cause of strokes. Over time plaques can burst or may lead to a severe narrowing (stenosis) of the neck artery. When plaques burst, small clots or fatty particles (called microemboli) break off, block brain vessels and lead to a stroke. Researchers have an incomplete understanding of the processes that cause hardening of the arteries, development of small clots and are unable to predict who will have a stroke. At present, the only ultrasound scan that evaluates circulation in the head and detects these small clots is called the Transcranial Doppler ultrasound. The aim of the study is to test this simple ultrasound technique to see if it can detect signals that may correspond to these small clots or fatty particles. The other objective is to see how repeatable the ultrasound technique is. This may help to identify patients with hardened neck arteries who are at higher risk of a recurrent stroke. This could also potentially improve patients selection to a targeted surgical or future novel pharmacological therapy.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Volunteers | – | Diagnostic Test: Transcranial Doppler UltrasoundHealthy volunteers with no previous history of cerebrovascular disease and aged over 18 years old. |
| Subjects with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis | – | Diagnostic Test: Transcranial Doppler UltrasoundPatients with symptomatic cerebrovascular event (stroke, transient ischaemic attack or amaurosis fugax) and image confirmed carotid artery stenosis of >30%. This will include patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy (>50% for men and >70% for women, by North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria) or treated conservatively with an optimal medical therapy (if patient declined surgical intervention or is outside surgical criteria for carotid endarterectomy). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Two cohorts of subjects including healthy volunteers and those with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis will be recruited in different ways. All subjects will undergo basic clinical evaluation prior to participation. In the second cohort, this will include assessment of relevant carotid artery and brain imaging investigations as well. Healthy volunteers will be recruited from the Centre for Cardiovascular Science at Edinburgh University by the Primary Investigator (PI). Patients with evidence of an acute neurovascular event (stroke, transient ischaemic attach and retinal ischaemia) due to a symptomatic carotid artery stenosis will be recruited from the acute TIA/Stroke clinics and inpatients at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by the responsible Consultant Neurologist or Stroke Physician. Once eligible patients are identified at this point PI will recruit subjects into the study.
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Healthy volunteers with no previous history of cerebrovascular disease and aged over 18 years old.
- Patients with symptomatic cerebrovascular event (stroke, transient ischaemic attack or amaurosis fugax) and image confirmed carotid artery stenosis of >30%. This will include patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy (>50% for men and >70% for women, by North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria) or treated conservatively with an optimal medical therapy (if patient declined surgical intervention or is outside surgical criteria for carotid endarterectomy).
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Subjects unable to comply with the study procedures such as a severe disabling stroke.
- Inadequate temporal window for Transcranial Doppler assessment.
- Adults with incapacity.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Transcranial Doppler UltrasoundTranscranial Doppler will be performed on the symptomatic (ipsilateral to an index event) middle cerebral artery in a quiet temperature controlled room. The middle cerebral artery will be identified through the temporal window in a supine position with a flow direction towards the probe. The subject will have a head frame (Marc 600 Spencer Technologies, USA) fitted to reduce motion and to secure a constant angle of the middle cerebral artery insonation depth at 50-60 mm from the skull surface. All recordings will be made using the ST3 Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound System (Spencer Technologies, USA) with a 2-MHz transducer for 1 hour. Emboli will be detected by listening for their characteristic short audible sound (range 10-100 ms, intensity threshold above 7 dB) and spectral appearance using the International Consensus Group microembolus identification criteria and an automated Embolus Detection Software (Spencer Technologies, USA). | Diagnostic test | Healthy Volunteers, Subjects with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis |
Primary outcome
Presence of microembolic signals in the Middle Cerebral Artery.
Time frame: 14 days
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 25 Jun 2018.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 30200977Kaczynski J, Home R, Shields K, Walters M, Whiteley W, Wardlaw J, Newby DE. Reproducibility of Transcranial Doppler ultrasound in the middle cerebral artery. Cardiovasc Ultrasound. 2018 Sep 11;16(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s12947-018-0133-z.
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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. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
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 Stroke, run by University of Edinburgh at 1 site in United Kingdom.
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 3 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Jun 2018. 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 United Kingdom. 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?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Presence of microembolic signals in the Middle Cerebral Artery. (time frame: 14 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03050567, which also lists 1 linked publication.
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 25 Jun 2018.