Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Efficacy and Safety of Thrombectomy in Stroke With Extended Lesion and Extended Time Window: a Randomized, Controlled Trial
Brief Summary: TENSION (Efficacy and safety of ThrombEctomy iN Stroke with extended leSION and extended time window) is a prospective, open label, blinded endpoint (PROBE), European two-arm, randomized, controlled, post-market study to compare the safety and effectiveness of endovascular thrombectomy as compared to best medical care alone in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke patients with extended stroke lesions defined by an Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) score of 3-5 and in an extended time window (up to 12 hours or unknown time of symptom onset). Up to 665 subjects will be randomized. Primary endpoint will be functional outcome assessed by the modified Rankin scale at 90 days post-stroke ("mRS shift analysis"). By this, TENSION will provide evidence of efficacy and safety of thrombectomy in an acute stroke population with uncertain benefit of endovascular stroke treatment.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Clinical diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke with unknown symptom onset (e.g. acute wake-up ischemic stroke, acute ischemic stroke with unknown time of symptom onset)
* Last known well without neurological symptoms \>4.5 hours of treatment initiation
* Treatment can be started within 4.5 hours of symptom recognition (e.g. awaking)
* Acute stroke MRI including diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) completed
* Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score (ASPECTS) on initial DWI is 5 or more
* No marked parenchymal hyperintensity visible on FLAIR
* Initial NIHSS ≥2
* Written informed consent by patient or next of kin

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pre-stroke Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) \>1 (patients who have inability to carry out all daily activities and require some help or supervision)
* Contraindications in the Japanese guideline for the intravenous application of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (alteplase)

  * History of nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage
  * History of stroke within the last 1 month (excluding transient ischemic attack)
  * History of significant head/spinal injury or surgery within the last 3 months
  * History of gastrointestinal or urinary tract bleeding within the last 21 days
  * History of major surgery or significant trauma other than head injury within the last 14 days
  * Hypersensitivity to alteplase
  * Suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage
  * Concurrent acute aortic dissection
  * Concurrent hemorrhage (e.g., intracranial, gastrointestinal, urinary tract, or retroperitoneal, hemoptysis)
  * Systolic blood pressure ≥185 mmHg despite antihypertensive therapy
  * Diastolic blood pressure ≥110 mmhg despite antihypertensive therapy
  * Significant hepatic disorder
  * Acute pancreatitis
  * Blood glucose \<50mg/dL or \>400 mg/dL
  * Platelet count ≤100,000/mm3
  * International normalized ratio of prothrombin time (PT-INR) \>1.7 or Prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT: \>1.5 times the baseline value \[\>approximately 40 seconds only as a guide\]) for patients on anticoagulation therapy or those with abnormal coagulation
* Any contraindication to MRI (e.g. cardiac pacemaker)
* Extensive early ischemic change in brain stem or cerebellum (e.g., more than half of brain stem or more than one hemisphere of cerebellum)
* Planned or anticipated treatment with surgery or endovascular reperfusion strategies (e.g., intra-arterial thrombolysis, mechanical recanalization techniques)
* Pregnant, lactating, or potentially pregnant
* Life expectancy 6 months or less by judgment of the investigator
* Inappropriate for study enrollment by judgment of the investigator
B: Inclusion Criteria:

Clinical Inclusion Criteria

* Clinical diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke with unknown symptom onset (e.g., stroke symptoms recognized on awakening)
* Last known well (without neurological symptoms) \> 4.5 hours of treatment initiation
* Measurable disabling neurological deficit (defined as an impairment of one or more of the following: language, motor function, cognition, gaze, vision, neglect)
* Age 18-80 years
* Treatment can be started within 4.5 hours of symptom recognition (e.g., awakening)
* Written informed consent by patient or proxy

Imaging Inclusion Criteria:

* Acute stroke MRI including diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) completed
* MRI showing a pattern of "DWI-FLAIR-mismatch", i.e. acute ischemic lesion visibly on DWI ("positive DWI") but no marked parenchymal hyperintensity visible on FLAIR ("negative FLAIR") indicative of an acute ischemic lesion ≤4.5 hours of age

Exclusion Criteria:

Clinical Exclusion Criteria

* Planned or anticipated treatment with endovascular reperfusion strategies (e.g. intra-arterial thrombolysis, mechanical recanalization techniques)
* Pre-stroke disability (inability to carry out all daily activities, requiring some help or supervision, i.e. slight disability corresponding to an MRS score \> 1)
* Participation in any investigational study in the previous 30 days
* Severe stroke by clinical assessment (e.g. NIHSS \> 25)
* Hypersensitivity to Alteplase or any of the excipients
* Pregnancy or lactating (formal testing needed in woman of childbearing potential; childbearing potential is assumed in women up to 55 years of age)
* Significant bleeding disorder at present or within past 6 months
* Known haemorrhagic diathesis
* Manifest or recent severe or dangerous bleeding
* Known history of or suspected intracranial haemorrhage
* Suspected subarachnoid haemorrhage (even if CT is negative) or condition after subarachnoid haemorrhage from aneurysm
* History of CNS damage (e.g. neoplasm, aneurysm, intracranial or spinal surgery)
* Recent (within 10 days) traumatic external heart massage, obstetrical delivery, recent puncture of a non-compressible blood-vessel
* Current use of anticoagulants (e.g. Phenprocoumon, Warfarin, new anticoagulants such as Dabigatran) or current use of heparin and elevated thromboplastin time (low-dose subcutaneous heparin is allowed)
* Platelet count \< 100.000/mm3 (\<100G/l)
* Blood glucose \< 50 or \> 400 mg/dl (\< 2.8 or 22.2 mmol/l)
* Severe uncontrolled hypertension, i.e. systolic blood pressure \> 185 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure \>110 mmHg or requiring aggressive medication to maintain blood pressure within these limits (routine medical treatment is allowed to lower the blood pressure below these limits)
* Manifest or recent bacterial endocarditis, pericarditis
* Manifest or recent acute pancreatitis
* Documented ulcerative gastrointestinal disease during the last 3 months, oesophageal varices, arterial aneurysm, arterial/venous malformations
* Neoplasm with increased bleeding risk
* Manifest severe liver disease including hepatic failure, cirrhosis, portal hypertension and active hepatitis
* Major surgery or significant trauma in past 3 months
* Stroke within 30 days
* Life expectancy 6 months or less by judgement of the investigator
* Any condition associated with a significantly increased risk of severe bleeding not mentioned above
* Any contraindication to MRI (e.g. cardiac pacemaker)

Imaging Exclusion Criteria:

* Poor MRI quality precluding interpretation according to the study protocol
* Any sign of intracranial haemorrhage on baseline MRI
* FLAIR showing a marked parenchymal hyperintensity in a region corresponding to the acute DWI lesion indicative of an acute ischemic lesion with a high likelihood of being \> 4.5 hours old
* Large DWI lesion volume \> 1/3 of the MCA or \> 50% of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) or posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory (visual inspection) or \> 100 ml
* Any MRI findings indicative of a high risk of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage related to potential IV-tPA treatment in the judgement of the investigator
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Randomization within 11 hours after stroke onset (if known) or last seen well.
* Endovascular treatment is expected to be finished within 12 hours after known symptom onset or last seen well by judgment of the interventional neuroradiologist in charge (if stroke onset is known).
* Patient must demonstrate clinical signs and symptoms attributable to target area of occlusion consistent with the diagnosis of ischemic stroke, including impairment of the following: language, motor function, sensation, cognition, gaze, and/or vision for at least 30 minutes without relevant improvement.
* Female and male patient above 18 years of age
* NIHSS Score of \<26
* Signed informed consent (IC) form by patient or legal guardian, or inclusion of patient's presumptive will by investigator under emergency situation, but after consultation of an independent physician who is familiar with these types of illness if the other options are not possible according to local approval.
* Prior to new focal neurological deficit, mRS score was ≤2.

Imaging Inclusion Criteria

* A new focal occlusion confirmed by imaging (MRA/CTA) to be accessible to the thrombectomy device, and located in the M1 of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and/or the intracranial segment of the distal internal carotid artery (ICA).
* CT (non-contrast CT) or DWI with an ASPECT score of 3-5

Clinical exclusion criteria

* Patient is an active participant in another drug or device treatment trial for any disease state or patient is expected to start participation in another drug or device treatment trial while enrolled in this protocol, unless approved by Sponsor.
* Patient has pre-existing neurological or psychiatric disease that could impede the study results or would confound the neurological or functional evaluations.
* Patient has vascular disease preventing endovascular treatment (e.g. aortic dissection or aneurysm, no arterial transfemoral access)
* Patient has history of contraindication for contrast medium.
* Patient is known to have infective endocarditis
* Patient's anticipated life expectancy is less than 6 Months12 months

Imaging exclusion criteria

* ExtracaranialExtracranial CT scan or MR angiography showing high grade stenosis expected to require acute stent placement (especially e.g. ICAACI stenting) during the procedure to get access to the occlusion
* CT or MRI with evidence of: Mass mass effect or intracranial tumor, or hypodensity on unenhanced CT and
* If CT perfusion is done per institutional standard: CBV drop on CBV maps on CTP, or, alternatively as with an ASPECT score of 0-2
* If DWI is done per institutional standard,: restricted diffusion on DWI with an ASPECT score of 0-2, or above 5
D: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 18 and older (i.e., candidates must have had their 18th birthday)
2. NIHSS ≥8 at the time of neuroimaging
3. Presenting or persistent symptoms within 6-12 hours of when groin puncture can be obtained
4. Neuroimaging demonstrates large vessel proximal occlusion (distal ICA through MCA M1 bifurcation)
5. The operator feels that the stroke can be appropriately treated with traditional endovascular techniques (endovascular mechanical thrombectomy without adjunctive devices such as stents)
6. Pts are within 6-12 hours of symptom onset, that have received IV-tPA without improvement in symptoms are eligible for this study. Patients presenting earlier than 6 hours should be treated according to local standard of care.
7. Pre-event Modified Rankin Scale score 0-1
8. Consenting requirements met according to local IRB

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patient is less than 6-hours from symptom onset
2. Rapidly improving neurologic examination
3. Absence of large vessel occlusion on non-invasive imaging
4. Known or suspected pre-existing (chronic) large vessel occlusion in the symptomatic territory
5. Absence of an associated large penumbra as defined by physiologic imaging according to standard of practice at the participating institution
6. Any intracranial hemorrhage in the last 90 days
7. Known irreversible bleeding disorder
8. Known hereditary or acquired hemorrhagic diathesis, coagulation factor deficiency, or oral anticoagulant therapy with INR \> 2.5 or institutionally equivalent prothrombin time of 2.5 times normal
9. Platelet count \< 100 x 103 cells/mm3 or known platelet dysfunction
10. Inability to tolerate, clinically documented evidence in medical history of adverse reaction to, or contraindication to medications used in treatment of the stroke
11. Contraindication to CT and MRI (i.e., iodine contrast allergy or other condition that prohibits imaging from either CT or MRI)
12. Known allergy to contrast used in angiography that cannot be medically controlled
13. Relative contraindication to angiography (e.g., serum creatinine \> 2.5 mg/dL)
14. Women who are currently pregnant or breast-feeding (Women of child-bearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test prior to the study procedure (either serum or urine)
15. Evidence of active infection (indicated by fever at or over 99.9 °F and/or open draining wound) at the time of randomization
16. Current use of cocaine or other vasoactive substance
17. Any comorbid disease or condition expected to compromise survival or ability to complete follow-up assessments through 90 days
18. Patients who lack the necessary mental capacity to participate or are unwilling or unable to comply with the protocol's follow up appointment schedule (based on the investigator's judgment)

Head CT or MRI Scan Exclusion Criteria

* Presence of blood on imaging (subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), etc.)
* High density lesion consistent with hemorrhage of any degree
* Significant mass effect with midline shift
* Large (more than 1/3 of the middle cerebral artery) regions of clear hypodensity on the baseline CT scan or ASPECTS of \< 7; Sulcal effacement and/or loss of grey-white differentiation alone are not contraindications for treatment

Answer: C