Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: POSITIVE: PerfusiOn Imaging Selection of Ischemic STroke PatIents for EndoVascular ThErapy
Brief Summary: Primary Endpoint:

The primary objective is to show that AIS patients, ineligible for or refractory to treatment with IV-tPA, with appropriate image selection, treated with mechanical thrombectomy within 6-12 hours of symptom onset have less stroke related disability and improved good functional outcomes as compared to those treated with best MT with respect to endpoint defined as:

• 90-day global disability assessed via the modified Rankin score (mRS), analyzed using raw mRS scores. Statistical details can be found in section 7.2.

Secondary Endpoints:

* 90-day global disability in the 6-12 hr cohort assessed via the overall distribution of mRS
* Proportion of patients with good functional recovery for the 6-12 hr cohort as defined by mRS 0-2 at 90 days
* Mortality at 30 and 90 days
* Intracranial hemorrhage with neurological deterioration (NIHSS worsening \>4) within 24 hours of randomization
* Procedure related serious adverse events (SAE's)
* Arterial revascularization measured by TICI 2b or 3 following device use


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients presenting with hemispheric acute ischaemic stroke
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. Treatment onset can commence within ≥ 3 - 9 hours after stroke onset according to registered product information, or within 4.5 - 9 hours according to locally accepted guidelines\*.

   (\*Guidelines are currently under international review - advisory statement issued by the Stroke Council, American Heart Association and American Stroke Association)
5. Patients who wake with stroke may be included if neurological and other exclusion criteria are satisfied. These 'wake up' strokes are defined as having no symptoms at sleep onset, but stroke symptoms on waking. The time of stroke onset is to be taken as the mid-point between sleep onset (or last known to be normal) and time of waking. The maximum time window for randomisation is then 9 hours from the mid-point as described.
6. NIHSS score of ≥ 4 - 26 with clinical signs of hemispheric infarction.
7. Penumbral mismatch - A "hypo-perfusion to core" volume ratio of greater than 1.2 and an absolute difference greater than 10mL (using a MR or CT Tmax \> 6 second delay) between perfusion lesion and MR-DWI or CT-CBF core lesion.
8. An ischaemic core lesion volume of less than or equal to 70 ml using MR-DWI or CT-CBF \*\* Patients may be consented before or after penumbral screening depending upon local practice. The entire cohort of patients consented onto the study will be followed up with clinical assessments and biomarker studies regardless of eligibility for randomisation to treatment based on penumbral mismatch criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) identified by CT or MRI
2. Rapidly improving symptoms, particularly if in the judgment of the managing clinician that the improvement is likely to result in the patient having an NIHSS score of \< 4 at randomization
3. Pre-stroke MRS score of ≥ 2 (indicating previous disability)
4. Contra indication to imaging with MR with contrast agents
5. Infarct core \>1/3 MCA territory qualitatively
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 could impose hazards to the patient if study therapy is initiated or affect the participation of the patient in the study (this applies to patients with severe microangiopathy such as haemolytic uremic syndrome or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura). The judgment is left to the discretion of the Investigator.
9. Pregnant women (clinically evident)
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 or a prolonged prothrombin time (INR \> 1.7) if the patient is on warfarin
13. Use of heparin, except for low dose subcutaneous heparin, in the previous 48 hours and an activated prolonged 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. Use of single or dual agent oral platelet inhibitors (clopidogrel and/or low-dose aspirin) prior to study entry 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 hours
21. Clinically deemed eligible for Endovascular Clot Retrieval (ECR) treatment by the treating team
B: 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
C: 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
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients presenting with hemispheric acute ischaemic stroke
* Patient, family member or legally responsible person depending on local ethics requirements has given informed consent
* Patient's age is ≥18 years (or as per local requirements)
* Treatment onset can commence within 4.5 - 9 hours after stroke onset according to registered product information, or within 3 - 9 hours according to locally accepted guidelines.
* Patients who wake with stroke may be included if neurological and other exclusion criteria are satisfied. These 'wake up' strokes are defined as having no symptoms at sleep onset, but stroke symptoms on waking. The time of stroke onset is to be taken as the mid-point between sleep onset (or last known to be normal) and time of waking. The maximum time window for randomisation is then 9 hours from the mid-point as described.
* Significant neurological deficit (eg. NIHSS score of ≥ 4 - 26) with clinical signs of hemispheric infarction.
* Penumbral mismatch - A "hypo-perfusion to core" volume ratio of greater than 1.2, and an absolute difference greater than 10ml (using a Magnetic Resonance (MR) or Computed Tomography (CT) Tmax \> 6 second delay), between perfusion lesion and MR-DWI or Computed Tomography-Cerebral Blood Flow (CT-CBF) core lesion.
* An infarct core lesion of less than or equal to 70ml using MR-DWI or CT-CBF

Exclusion Criteria:

* Intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) identified by CT or MRI
* Rapidly improving symptoms, particularly if in the judgment of the managing clinician that the improvement is likely to result in the patient having an NIHSS score of \< 4 at randomization
* Pre-stroke MRS score of ≥ 2 (indicating previous disability)
* Contra indication to imaging with contrast agents
* Infarct core \>1/3 Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) territory qualitatively
* Participation in any investigational study in the previous 30 days
* Any terminal illness such that patient would not be expected to survive more than 1 year
* Any condition that could impose hazards to the patient if study therapy is initiated or affect the participation of the patient in the study (this applies to patients with severe microangiopathy such as haemolytic uremic syndrome or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura). The judgment is left to the discretion of the Investigator.
* Pregnant women (clinically evident)
* Previous stroke within last three months
* 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.
* Current use of oral anticoagulants or a prolonged prothrombin time (INR \> 1.7) if the patient is on warfarin
* Use of heparin, except for low dose subcutaneous heparin, in the previous 48 hours and a prolonged activated thromboplastin time exceeding the upper limit of the local laboratory normal range.
* Use of glycoprotein IIb - IIIa inhibitors within the past 72 hours. Use of single or dual agent oral platelet inhibitors (clopidogrel and/or low-dose aspirin) prior to study entry is permitted.
* Clinically significant hypoglycaemia.
* 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.
* Hereditary or acquired haemorrhagic diathesis
* Gastrointestinal or urinary bleeding within the preceding 21 days
* Major surgery within the preceding 14 days which poses risk in the opinion of the investigator.
* Exposure to a thrombolytic agent within the previous 72 hours
* Clinically deemed eligible for Endovascular Clot Retrieval (ECR) treatment by the treating team

Answer: B