Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Interventional Management of Stroke Trial (IMS III): A Phase III Clinical Trial Examining Whether a Combined Intravenous (IV) and Intra-Arterial (IA) Approach to Recanalization is Superior to Standard IV Rt-PA (Activase®) Alone
Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to compare two different treatment approaches to recanalization started within 3 hours of symptom onset-combined intravenous (IV) and endovascular therapy and standard intravenous (IV) rt-PA alone.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* 1. Acute ischemic stroke where patient is ineligible for IV thrombolytic treatment or the treatment is contraindicated (e.g., subject presents beyond recommended time from symptom onset), or where patient has received IV thrombolytic therapy without recanalization after a minimum of 30 min from start of iv tPA infusion
* 2. No significant pre-stroke functional disability (mRS ≤ 1)
* 3. Baseline NIHSS score obtained prior to randomization must be equal or higher than 6 points
* 4. Age ≥18 and ≤ 85.
* 5. Occlusion (TICI 0-1) of the intracranial ICA (distal ICA or T occlusions), MCA-M1 segment or tandem proximal ICA/MCA-M1 suitable for endovascular treatment, as evidenced by CTA, MRA or angiogram, with or without concomitant cervical carotid occlusion or stenosis
* 6. Patient treatable within eight hours of symptom onset. Symptoms onset is defined as point in time the patient was last seen well (at baseline). Treatment start is defined as groin puncture.
* 7. Informed consent obtained from patient or acceptable patient surrogate

Exclusion Criteria:

* Clinical criteria
* 1. Known hemorrhagic diathesis, coagulation factor deficiency, or oral anticoagulant therapy with INR \> 3.0
* 2. Baseline platelet count \< 30.000/µL
* 3. Baseline blood glucose of \< 50mg/dL or \>400mg/dl
* 4. Severe, sustained hypertension (SBP \> 185 mm Hg or DBP \> 110 mm Hg)
* 5. Patients in coma (NIHSS item of consciousness \>1) (Intubated patients for transfer could be randomized only in case an NIHSS is obtained by a neurologist prior transportation).
* 6. Seizures at stroke onset which would preclude obtaining a baseline NIHSS
* 7. Serious, advanced, or terminal illness with anticipated life expectancy of less than one year.
* 8. History of life threatening allergy (more than rash) to contrast medium
* 9. Subjects who has received iv t-PA treatment beyond 4,5 hours from the beginning of the symptoms
* 10. Renal insufficiency with creatinine ≥ 3 mg/dl
* 11. Woman of childbearing potential who is known to be pregnant or lactating or who has a positive pregnancy test on admission.
* 12. Subject participating in a study involving an investigational drug or device that would impact this study.
* 13. Cerebral vasculitis
* 14. Patients with a pre-existing neurological or psychiatric disease that would confound the neurological or functional evaluations, mRS score at baseline must be ≤ 1. This excludes patients who are severely demented, require constant assistance in a nursing home type setting or who live at home but are not fully independent in activities of daily living (toileting, dressing, eating, cooking and preparing meals, etc.)
* 15. Unlikely to be available for 90-day follow-up (e.g. no fixed home address, visitor from overseas).

Neuroimaging criteria:

* 16. Hypodensity on CT or restricted diffusion amounting to an ASPECTS score of \<7 on NCCT or \<6 on DWI MRI. Patients 81 to 85 years old with ASPECTS score on non-contrast CT or DWI MRI \<9 must be excluded. ASPECTS must be evaluated by CBV maps of CT Perfusion, CTA source imaging (CTA-SI) or DWI-MR in patients whose vascular occlusion study (CTA/MRA) confirming qualifying occlusion, is performed beyond 4.5 hours of last seen well.
* 17. CT or MR evidence of hemorrhage (the presence of microbleeds is allowed).
* 18. Significant mass effect with midline shift.
* 19. Evidence of ipsilateral carotid occlusion, high grade stenosis or arterial dissection in the extracranial or petrous segment of the internal carotid artery that cannot be treated or will prevent access to the intracranial clot or excessive tortuosity of cervical vessels precluding device delivery/deployment
* 20. Subjects with occlusions in multiple vascular territories (e.g., bilateral anterior circulation, or anterior/posterior circulation)
* 21. Evidence of intracranial tumor (except small meningioma).
B: Inclusion Criteria:

1. From 18 to 85 years of age
2. Present with symptoms consistent with an acute ischemic stroke and eligible for IV rtPA therapy (patients presenting 3-4.5 hrs from symptom onset are not eligible if they are \>80 yrs of age, have a history of stroke and diabetes, anticoagulant use (even if INR is \<1.7) and have a NIHSS score \>25
3. Evidence of a large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation with a clot length of 8mm or longer
4. NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score 8 or greater or aphasic at presentation
5. Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of stroke in the past 3 months.
2. Females who are pregnant
3. Pre-existing neurological or psychiatric disease that could confound the study results such as a pre-stroke mRS score 1 or greater
4. Known severe allergy to contrast media
5. Uncontrolled hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure \>185 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure \>110 mmHg)
6. CT evidence of the following conditions at randomization:

   * Significant mass effect with midline shift
   * Any acute ischemic changes in \>1/3 of the affected middle cerebral artery territory
   * Evidence of intracranial hemorrhage
7. Angiographic evidence of tantem extracranial occlusion or an arterial stenosis proximal to the occlusion that requires treatment prior to thrombus removal. Moderate stenosis not requiring treatment is not an exclusion
8. Angiographic evidence of preexisting arterial injury
9. Rapidly improving neurological status prior to randomization
10. Bilateral stroke
11. Intracranial tumors
12. Known history of cerebral aneurysm or arteriovenous malfunction
13. Known hemorrhagic diathesis, coagulation deficiency, or on anticoagulant therapy with an International Normalized Ratio (INR) of \>1.7
14. Baseline platelets \<50,000
15. Use of IV heparin in the past 48 hours with PPT \>1.5 times the normalized ratio
16. Pre-treatment glucose \<50mg/dL or \>300mg/dL
17. Life expectancy less than 90 days prior to stroke onset
18. Participation in another clinical investigation that could confound the evaluation of the study device
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Sudden focal neurological deficit attributable to a stroke
* Clearly defined time of onset, allowing initiation of intravenous treatment within 3 hours of symptoms onset and intra-arterial treatment within 6 hour of symptoms onset.
* Age greater than 18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

* Disability preceding stroke consistent with a modified Rankin scale score of 2-4
* Coma at onset
* Rapidly improving neurological deficit
* Seizure at onset
* Clinical presentation suggestive of a subarachnoid hemorrhage
* Previous history of intracranial hemorrhage
* Septic embolism
* Arterial puncture at a non compressible site within the previous 7 days
* Any traumatic brain injury within the previous 14 days
* Surgery of the central nervous system in the previous 3 months
* Gastrointestinal hemorrhage or urinary tract hemorrhage within the previous 14 days.
* Current therapy with intravenous or subcutaneous heparin to rise the clotting time
* Known hereditary or acquired hemorrhagic diathesis, baseline INR greater than 1.5, aPTT more than 1.5 times normal, or baseline platelet count less than 100,000 per cubic millimeter
* Baseline blood glucose concentrations below 2.75 mm/L (50 mg/dL).
* Known contrast sensitivity.
* Women of childbearing potential (unless pregnancy impossible) or known to be breastfeeding. Uncontrolled hypertension defined by a blood pressure greater or equal 185 mmHg systolic or diastolic greater or equal 110 mm Hg in 3 separate occasions at least 10 minutes apart or requiring continuous IV therapy.
* Prognosis very poor regardless of therapy; likely to be dead within months.
* Unlikely to be available for follow-up (eg, no fixed home address, visitor from overseas).
* Any other condition which local investigators feels would pose a significant hazard in terms of risk/benefit to the patient, or if therapies are impracticable.

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC (CT) SCAN EXCLUSION CRITERIA

* Intracranial tumors except small meningioma
* Hemorrhage of any degree
* Acute infarction (since this may be an indicator that the time of onset is uncorrected)
D: Inclusion Criteria

* Age: 18 through 82 years (i.e., candidates must have had their 18th birthday, but not had their 83rd birthday)
* Initiation of intravenous rt-PA within 3 hours of onset of stroke symptoms. Time of onset is defined as the last time when the subject was witnessed to be at baseline (i.e., subjects who have stroke symptoms upon awakening will be considered to have their onset at beginning of sleep)
* An NIHSSS \>/= 10 at the time that intravenous rt-PA is begun or an NIHSSS \>7 and \<10 with an occlusion seen in M1, ICA or basilar artery on CTA at institutions where baseline CTA imaging is standard of care for acute stroke patients.
* Investigator verification that the subject has received/ is receiving the correct IV rt-PA dose for the estimated weight prior to randomization

Exclusion Criteria

* History of stroke in the past 3 months
* Previous intra-cranial hemorrhage, neoplasm, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or arteriovenous malformation
* Clinical presentation suggests a subarachnoid hemorrhage, even if initial CT scan is normal
* Hypertension at time of treatment; systolic BP \> 185 or diastolic \> 110 mm Hg) or aggressive measures to lower BP to below these limits are needed.
* Presumed septic embolus, or suspicion of bacterial endocarditis
* Presumed pericarditis, including pericarditis after acute MI
* Suspicion of aortic dissection
* Recent (within 30 days) surgery or biopsy of parenchymal organ
* Recent (within 30 days) trauma, with internal injuries or ulcerative wounds
* Recent (within 90 days) severe head trauma or head trauma with loss of consciousness
* Any active or recent (within 30 days) hemorrhage
* Pts with known hereditary or acquired hemorrhagic diathesis, coagulation factor deficiency or oral anticoagulant therapy require coagulation labs results prior to enrollment. Any subject with INR \> 1.7 or institutionally equivalent prothrombin time is excluded. Patients without history or suspicion of coagulopathy do not require INR or prothrombin time lab results to be available prior to enrollment.
* Females of childbearing potential who are known to be pregnant and/or lactating or who have positive pregnancy tests on admission
* Baseline lab values: glucose \< 50 mg/dl or \> 400 mg/dl, platelets \<100,000, or Hct \<25
* Requires hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, or has a contraindication to an angiogram for whatever reason
* Received heparin or a direct thrombin inhibitor (Angiomax, argatroban, Refludan, Pradaxa) within 48 hours must have a normal partial thromboplastin time (PTT) to be eligible
* History of an arterial puncture at a non-compressible site or a lumbar puncture in the previous 7 days
* History of seizure at onset of stroke
* History of a pre-existing neurological or psychiatric disease that would confound the neurological or functional evaluations, mRS score at baseline must be \< 2. This excludes patients who live in a nursing home or who are not fully independent for activities of daily living (toileting, dressing, eating, cooking and preparing meals, etc.)
* Other serious, advanced, or terminal illness
* Any other condition that the investigator feels would pose a significant hazard to the subject if Activase (Alteplase) therapy is initiated
* Current participation in another research drug treatment protocol
* Informed consent is not or cannot be obtained.
* High density lesion consistent with hemorrhage of any degree on baseline imaging
* Significant mass effect with midline shift on baseline imaging
* Large (\>1/3 of the middle cerebral artery) regions of clear hypodensity on the baseline CT scan. (ASPECTS of \< 4 can be used as a guideline) Sulcal effacement and/or loss of grey-white differentiation are not contraindications to tx
* CT evidence of intrapararenchymal tumor
* Baseline CTA without evidence of arterial occlusion

Answer: D