Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: EARLY: Prospective, Randomised, National, Multi-centre, Open-label, Blinded Endpoint Study to Compare Aggrenox b.i.d. (200 mg Dipyridamole MR + 25 mg Acetylsalicylic Acid) When Started Within 24 Hours of Stroke Onset on an Acute Stroke Unit, and Aggrenox b.i.d. When Started After a 7-day Therapy With ASA 100 mg Once Daily Outside Off an Acute Stroke Unit, in Symptomatic Ischaemic Stroke Patients Over a Three Months Treatment Period an Exploratory Study
Brief Summary: German stroke units are hesitating to use Aggrenox for secondary ischaemic stroke / transient ischaemic attack (TIA) prevention in a sub-acute treatment setting. They argue that clinical experience with sub-acute Aggrenox treatment is limited and poorly documented when compared with sub-acute acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) treatment. However, long term treatment (started after 3-6 months after stroke/TIA) with Aggrenox was safe and superior to ASA treatment in preventing recurrent strokes. There is no evidence for ASA to prevent from neurological progression after stroke during the first 3 months. Results from a cohort study suggest that starting Aggrenox within 72 hours after stroke predicts clinical improvement in the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at discharge from the hospital. Dipyridamole suppresses acute inflammatory responses to stroke.

This study is designed to investigate the tolerability and efficacy of a secondary stroke prevention treatment with Aggrenox when initiated within 24 hours of stroke onset on a stroke unit compared to later initiation after a 7 day ASA treatment and outside off a stroke unit setting.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

Patients with a diagnosis of cerebral infarction (excluding cardiogenic cerebral embolism) who meet the diagnostic criteria based on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) ad hoc committee's classification of cerebrovascular disease III.

1. Patients who have had an onset of cerebral infarction, the time of which is known, between 1 week and 6 months before the time of enrolment (including first and recurrent cerebral infarctions)
2. Patients who are 50 years or older
3. Patients whose neurological signs and symptoms are considered to be stable by the investigator or sub-investigator
4. Patients with a finding corresponding to the responsible focus confirmed by head X-ray computerised tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
5. Patients who have at least two of the following risk factors:

   * diabetes
   * hypertension (systolic blood pressure is 140 mmHg or higher or diastolic blood pressure is 90 mmHg or higher) or under treatment of hypertension
   * smoker (at the time of onset of cerebral infarction)
   * obesity (Body mass index (BMI) is more than 25 kg/m2)
   * previous vascular disease (stroke, acute myocardial infarction or peripheral arterial disease before the onset of cerebral infarction)
   * end-organ damage (retinopathy, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) or microalbuminuria)
   * hyperlipidaemia

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with a diagnosis of brain disorders with a bleeding risk such as brain haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, cerebral arteriovenous (AV) malformation, cerebral AV aneurysms and brain tumours
2. Patients with complications of cardiac disorders (atrial fibrillation, mitral valve stenosis, severe cardiac valve disorders) that may provide an embolic source for cerebral embolism
3. Patients having had acute coronary syndromes (acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina) within 6 months after enrolment in this study
4. Patient with hypersensitivity to dipyridamole preparations
5. Patients with a history of drug allergy to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or aspirin asthma
6. Patients with a history of peptic ulcer
7. Patients having undergone arterial reconstruction after development of cerebral infarction
8. Patients with very severe impairment (4 or 5 on Modified Rankin Scale)
9. Patients with bleeding or bleeding tendencies (haemophilia, haemorrhage urinary tract, vitreous haemorrhage, etc.)
10. Patients with severe hypertension (systolic blood pressure is 180 mmHg or higher or diastolic blood pressure is 110 mmHg or higher)
11. Patients with complications such as serious cardiac, renal and hepatic disorders
12. Patients with a malignant tumour or having had a tumour treatment in the past 5 years
13. Women who are or may be pregnant or lactating women
B: Inclusion Criteria:

-Clinical diagnosis of ischaemic stroke causing a measurable neurological deficit defined as impairment of language, motor function, cognition and/or gaze, vision or neglect. Symptoms must be distinguishable from an episode of generalised ischaemia (i.e. syncope), seizure, or migraine disorder.

Main inclusion criteria:

* Patients at risk of stroke who have had transient ischaemia of the brain or completed ischaemic stroke due to thrombosis
* Symptoms of ischaemic attack began less than 24 hours prior to study medication start, are to be present for at least 30 minutes and have not significantly improved before start of treatment
* Patients are eligible for platelet inhibiting treatment
* National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) between 5 and 20 (at pre-screening and screening)
* Actual Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) (at baseline) is worse than retrospective mRS (before stroke)
* A contraindication for stroke lysis is given
* Patients are able to give (at least oral) informed consent and to swallow either medication

Exclusion Criteria:

* Hypersensitivity to any of the components of the product or salicylates.
* Patients with active gastric or duodenal ulcers or with bleeding disorders.
* Pregnancy during the third trimester.
* Lysis therapy.
* A platelet inhibiting therapy with Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA) doses of more than 100 mg per day, or with clopidogrel of any dose has been planned or started.
* Time of onset of stroke symptoms is unknown (when a stroke happened during night-/sleeping time, bedtime is assumed as time of onset)
C: Major Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 18-60 years inclusive.
* Positive contrast valsalva bubble study by trans-esophageal echocardiogram (TEE) for patent foramen ovale (PFO), with or without atrial septal aneurysm.
* Stroke or clinically definite TIA (contact study coordinator).
* Be able to comply with follow up over two years.
* Be competent to, or have a legal guardian competent to, provide informed consent following full disclosure of risks and benefits of both treatment arms by a study investigator.
* Venous access capable of accepting a 10F minimum vascular sheath.
* Have, or be willing to, discontinue hormonal based contraceptive use prior to enrollment and for the term of the study.
* Has cardiac anatomy based on enrollment echocardiogram that will allow for placement of the implant if randomized to the implant arm.
* Note: Additional inclusion criteria may apply. Contact study coordinator or principal investigator for details.

Post-randomization - device patients only

* The size of the PFO (measured by indentation with a soft balloon) must be amenable to selection of a STARFlex device.

Major Exclusion Criteria:

* Carotid artery stenosis \> 50%.
* Intracranial stenosis \> 50% appropriate to symptoms.
* Complex aortic arch atheroma with high risk features for embolism
* Aortic arch, carotid or vertebral artery dissection.
* Mitral or aortic valve stenosis, vegetation, or calcification \> 5 mm mitral annular calcification (MAC) thickness.
* Active pregnancy.
* Active infections (contact study coordinator).
* Active infective endocarditis or bacteremia.
* Prosthetic heart valves in any location.
* Anterior MI within 3 months of neurological event.
* Chronic atrial fibrillation
* Thrombus in, or occluded, venous access route.
* Contraindication to heparin, aspirin, clopidogrel, or warfarin, or a known medical condition that requires continuous warfarin.
* Patient enrolled in another investigation study where clinical endpoint interference may occur.
* Permanent pacemaker or inferior vena cava (IVC) filter.
* Serum creatinine \> 2.0 mg/dL
* Patients with known vasculitis or neurologic disorder.
* Baseline modified Rankin score of 3 or more.
* Hypercoagulopathies requiring long-term warfarin.
* Note: Additional exclusion criteria may apply.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men or women equal or elder 40 years of age
* Either acute ischaemic stroke or high-risk TIA as defined here and randomisation occurring within 24 hours after onset of symptoms

Key Exclusion Criteria:

* Planned use of antithrombotic therapy in addition to study medication including antiplatelets (eg, open label ASA, GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors, clopidogrel, ticlopidine, prasugrel, dipyridamole, ozagrel, cilostazol) and anticoagulants (eg, warfarin, oral thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors, bivalirudin, hirudin, argatroban, unfractionated and low molecular weight heparins). - Any history of atrial fibrillation, ventricular aneurysm or suspicion of cardioembolic pathology for TIA or stroke. - Planned carotid, cerebrovascular, or coronary revascularisation that requires halting study medication within 7 days of randomisation. - Receipt of any intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy within 24 hours prior to randomisation - History of previous symptomatic non-traumatic intracerebral bleed at any time (asymptomatic microbleeds do not qualify), gastrointestinal (GI) bleed within the past 6 months, or major surgery within 30 days.

Answer: B