Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Endovascular Treatment for Small Core and Anterior Circulation Proximal Occlusion With Emphasis on Minimizing CT to Recanalization Times (ESCAPE) Trial
Brief Summary: The purpose of the study is to understand whether a new treatment of stroke - endovascular clot removal - can be added to the current standard of care to improve patient outcomes.

All patients will receive the best standard stroke treatment. This includes treating patients with the clot dissolving drug tPA (tissue plasminogen activator). However, t-PA does not work in some patients and others are not eligible to receive t-PA because they present too late for treatment (they woke up with their stroke symptoms or their stroke was not witnessed).

During endovascular revascularization the blockage in the artery is removed with the use of devices called stentreivers and or by giving clot dissolving drug at the site of the blockage in the artery to restore blood flow. Stentrievers are devices that have been designed by different companies to remove blood clots from arteries.

Up to a maximum of 500 people at 20-25 hospitals across Canada and other countries will participate in this study.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patient or patient's legally authorized representative has signed and dated an Informed Consent Form
* Age22-85
* Clinical signs consistent with acute ischemic stroke
* National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥8and\<30
* Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 0 or TIMI 1 flow in the M1 or M2 of middle cerebral artery, internal carotid artery, basilar or vertebral arteries confirmed by angiography that is accessible to the SOLITAIRETM or MERCI® Device
* Patient is able to be treated within 8 hours of stroke symptoms onset with minimum of one deployment of the SOLITAIRETM or MERCI® Device.
* Patient who is ineligible or failed intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) therapy given at local institutions or within national practice.
* Patient is willing to conduct follow-up visits

Exclusion Criteria:

* NIHSS \> 30 or coma
* Neurological signs that are rapidly improving prior to or at time of treatment
* Females who are pregnant or lactating
* Known serious sensitivity to radiographic contrast agents
* Current participation in another investigation drug or device study
* Uncontrolled hypertension defined as systolic blood pressure \> 185 or diastolic blood pressure \> 110 that cannot be controlled except with continuous parenteral antihypertensive medication
* Use of warfarin anticoagulation with International Normalized Ratio (INR) \> 3.0
* Platelet count \< 30,000
* Glucose \< 50 mg/dL
* Arterial tortuosity that would prevent the device from reaching the target vessel
* Life expectancy of less than 90 days
* Computed tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) evidence of hemorrhage on presentation
* CT showing hypodensity or MR showing hyperintensity involving greater than 1/3 of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory (or in other territories, \>100 cc of tissue) on presentation
* CT or MRI evidence of mass effect or intracranial tumor (except small meningioma)
* Angiographic evidence of carotid dissection, complete cervical carotid occlusions, or vasculitis
B: 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 between 18 and 80 years

Exclusion criteria:

* Disability preceding stroke consistent with a modified Rankin scale score of 2-4 (see glossary for Rankin scale)
* Coma at onset
* Severe stroke as assessed clinically (e.g. NIHSS\>25)
* Rapidly improving neurological deficit or minor symptoms
* Seizure at onset of stroke
* Clinical presentation suggestive of a subarachnoid hemorrhage (even of CT scan is normal) or condition after subarachnoid hemorrhage from aneurysm
* Previous history of or suspected intracranial hemorrhage
* Previous history of central nervous system damage (i.e. neoplasm, aneurysm, intracranial or spinal surgery)
* Septic embolism, bacterial endocarditis, pericarditis
* Acute pancreatitis
* Arterial puncture at a non compressible site (e.g. subclavian or jugular vein puncture) or traumatic external heart massage or obstetrical delivery within the previous 10 days
* Another stroke or serious head trauma within the preceding 3 months
* Major surgery or significant trauma in past 3 month
* Urinary tract hemorrhage within the previous 21 days
* Documented ulcerative gastrointestinal disease during the last 3 months, esophageal varices, arterial-aneurysm, arterial/venous malformations • Neoplasm with increased bleeding risk
* Severe liver disease, including hepatic failure, cirrhosis, portal hypertension (esophageal varices) and active hepatitis
* Current therapy with intravenous or subcutaneous heparin or oral anticoagulants (e.g. warfarin sodium) 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 50 mg per deciliter (2.75 mm/L) or above 400 mg per deciliter
* Hemorrhagic retinopathy, e.g. in diabetes (vision disturbances may indicate hemorrhagic retinopathy)
* Any history of prior stroke and concomitant diabetes
* Prior stroke within the last 3 months
* Known contrast sensitivity
* Severe uncontrolled hypertension defined by a blood pressure ≥ 185 mmHg systolic or diastolic ≥ 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 (e.g., 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
C: Inclusion Criteria A. Clinical (Heterogeneous sampling frame)

1. Acute ischemic stroke
2. Age 18 or greater
3. Onset (last-seen-well) time to randomization time \< 12 hours.
4. Disabling stroke defined as a baseline NIHSS \> 5 at the time of randomization.
5. Pre-stroke (24 hours prior to stroke onset) independent functional status in activities of daily living with modified Barthel Index \> 90. Patient must be living in their own home, apartment or seniors lodge where no nursing care is required.

   B. Imaging (Homogeneous target population)
6. Confirmed symptomatic intracranial occlusion, based on single phase, multiphase or dynamic CTA, at one or more of the following locations: Carotid T/L, M1 MCA, or M1-MCA equivalent (2 or more M2-MCAs). Anterior temporal artery is not considered an M2.
7. Non-contrast CT and CTA for trial eligibility performed or repeated at ESCAPE stroke center with endovascular suite on-site.
8. Endovascular treatment intended to be initiated (groin puncture) within 60 minutes of baseline non-contrast CT with target baseline non-contrast CT to first recanalization of 90 minutes.
9. Signed informed consent or appropriate signed deferral of consent where approved.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Baseline non-contrast CT reveals a moderate/large core defined as extensive early ischemic changes of ASPECTS 0-5 in the territory of symptomatic intracranial occlusion.
2. Other confirmation of a moderate to large core defined one of three ways:

   1. On a single phase, multiphase or dynamic CTA: no or minimal collaterals in a region greater than 50% of the MCA territory when compared to pial filling on the contralateral side (multiphase/dynamic CTA preferred) OR
   2. On CT perfusion (\>8 cm coverage): a low CBV and very low CBF ASPECTS \<6 AND in the symptomatic MCA territory OR
   3. On CT perfusion(\<8 cm coverage): a region of low CBV and very low CBF \>1/3 of the CTP imaged symptomatic MCA territory.
3. Groin puncture is not possible within 60 minutes of the first slice of non-contrast CT acquisition (please note that if CTP is performed it should be done after CTA).
4. No femoral pulses or very difficult endovascular access that will result in a non-contrast CT-to-recanalization time that is longer than 90 minutes, or will result in an inability to deliver endovascular therapy.
5. Pregnancy; if a woman is of child-bearing potential a urine or serum beta HCG test is positive.
6. Severe contrast allergy or absolute contraindication to iodinated contrast.
7. Suspected intracranial dissection as a cause of stroke.
8. Clinical history, past imaging or clinical judgment suggests that the intracranial occlusion is chronic.
9. Patient has a severe or fatal comorbid illness that will prevent improvement or follow-up or that will render the procedure unlikely to benefit the patient.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients presenting with anterior circulation acute ischaemic stroke eligible using standard criteria to receive IV tPA within 4.5 hours of stroke onset
2. Patient, family member or legally responsible person depending on local ethics requirements has given informed consent
3. Patient"s age is ≥18 years
4. Intra-arterial clot retrieval treatment can commence (groin puncture) within 6 hours of stroke onset.

   Imaging inclusion criteria

   Dual target:
5. Arterial occlusion on CTA or MRA of the ICA, M1 or M2
6. Mismatch - Using CT or MRI with a Tmax \>6 second delay perfusion volume and either CT-rCBF or DWI infarct core volume. a) Mismatch ratio of greater than 1.2, and b) Absolute mismatch volume of greater than 10 ml, and. c) Infarct core lesion volume of less than 70mL

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) identified by CT or MRI
2. Rapidly improving symptoms at the discretion of the investigator
3. Pre-stroke mRS score of ≥ 2 (indicating previous disability)
4. Inability to access the cerebral vasculature in the opinion of the neurointerventional team
5. Contra indication to imaging with MR with contrast agents
6. Participation in any investigational study in the previous 30 days
7. Any terminal illness such that patient would not be expected to survive more than 1 year
8. Any condition that, in the judgment of the investigator could impose hazards to the patient if study therapy is initiated or affect the participation of the patient in the study.
9. Pregnant women
10. Previous stroke within last three months
11. Recent past history or clinical presentation of ICH, subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), arterio-venous (AV) malformation, aneurysm, or cerebral neoplasm. At the discretion of each Investigator.
12. Current use of oral anticoagulants and a prolonged prothrombin time (INR \> 1.6)
13. Use of heparin, except for low dose subcutaneous heparin, in the previous 48 hours and a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time exceeding the upper limit of the local laboratory normal range.
14. Use of glycoprotein IIb - IIIa inhibitors within the past 72 hours. Prior use of single or dual agent oral platelet inhibitors (clopidogrel and/or low-dose aspirin) is permitted.
15. Clinically significant hypoglycaemia.
16. Uncontrolled hypertension defined by a blood pressure \> 185 mmHg systolic or \>110 mmHg diastolic on at least 2 separate occasions at least 10 minutes apart, or requiring aggressive treatment to reduce the blood pressure to within these limits. The definition of "aggressive treatment" is left to the discretion of the responsible Investigator.
17. Hereditary or acquired haemorrhagic diathesis
18. Gastrointestinal or urinary bleeding within the preceding 21 days
19. Major surgery within the preceding 14 days which poses risk in the opinion of the investigator.
20. Exposure to a thrombolytic agent within the previous 72 hrs

Answer: C