Endovascular treatment in acute intracranial distal medium vessel occlusion stroke: Study protocol and rationale

Distal medium vessel occlusions (MeVOs) account for an estimated 25% to 40% of all acute ischemic strokes. Emerging evidence from non-randomized trials suggest that endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) can achieve high rates of successful reperfusion in MeVO strokes, with a safety profile comparable to EVT for proximal arterial occlusions. These findings underscore the need for a prospective randomized clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of EVT for MeVO stroke.

This trial aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of EVT for MeVO stroke.

Endovascular treatment in acute intracranial distal medium vessel occlusion stroke (ORIENTAL-MeVO) is an investigator-initiated, multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial with open-label treatment and blinded endpoint assessment (PROBE). Up to 564 eligible patients will be consecutively randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either EVT or standard of care over a period of 2 years in over 50 comprehensive stroke centers in China.

The primary outcome is a shift in the distribution of the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at day 90s with levels 5-6 combined (mRS = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-6). Primary safety endpoints include symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage at 24 h and mortality at 90 days.

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06146790.