PRECISE-MRI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Prevention of Cerebral Ischaemia in Stent Treatment of Carotid Artery Stenosis - A randomised multi-centre Phase II Trial comparing Ticagrelor versus Clopidogrel with outcome assessment on MRI (PRECISE-MRI)
IRAS ID
213056
Contact name
Trevor Cleveland
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Basel
Eudract number
2015-005555-27
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study compares two drugs aimed at preventing blood clots and brain strokes which may occur during stent treatment of the carotid artery. Atherosclerosis and narrowing of the carotid artery, the main artery of the neck supplying blood to the brain, is an important cause of stroke. Treatment with a stent is given to certain patients with narrowed carotid arteries as an alternative to surgery. A stent is a small tube made of mesh wire that is put into the narrowed artery with a catheter to re-open the artery. During the treatment small blood clots may form and block arteries in the brain, causing stroke. To prevent these blood clots, it is currently recommended that patients receive two drugs blocking blood platelets, Aspirin and Clopidogrel. These drugs are started before the treatment and continued for at least one month thereafter. In patients receiving stent treatment for heart disease, it has recently been shown that a new drug, Ticagrelor, is better than Clopidogrel in preventing blood clots and heart attacks when added to Aspirin. The present study therefore investigates if adding Ticagrelor to Aspirin is better than adding Clopidogrel to Aspirin to prevent brain strokes in patients receiving stent treatment of the carotid artery. Strokes that cause symptoms are rare but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may frequently pick up silent strokes which may occur during the procedure. To investigate if Ticagrelor is better than Clopidogrel to prevent all strokes, a brief MRI scan of the brain is done before and after stent treatment and one month later, when the study ends.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0718
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion