Evaluation and Prediction of the Effect of EECP on HR-NICE Patients

Stroke is one of the most threatening causes of mortality and disability worldwide. High risk non-disabling ischemic cerebrovascular events (HR-NICE), defined by mild stroke complicating with greater than 50% atherosclerotic stenosis in intracranial or extracranial arteries, is more likely to develop severe stroke in future. Currently, the clinical treatment for HR-NICE patients is limited to dual antiplatelet therapy or endovascular treatment, both of which are taken controversially due to the side effect or high risk. Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is an established non-invasive treatment for circulatory support. By inflating repeatedly and sequentially from calves to hips in the early diastolic phase of every cardiac cycle, EECP has been demonstrated to increase the shear stress of blood vessels, enhance the collateral circulation and improve brain perfusion in patients with stroke. However, few studies have devoted exclusively to patients with HR-NICE. It is not clear whether EECP can improve the clinical performance or reduce the rate of recurrent stroke in 90 days. In this trial, HR-NICE patients will be divided into two groups according to true or sham EECP treatment. Based on multi-model magnetic resonance imaging, the investigators explore the central neural characteristic before and after EECP treatment.

NCT Number	NCT05718622
Lead Sponsor	First Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University
Conditions	Stroke, Ischemic
Enrollment	100 participants
Start Date	2022-11-10
Primary Completion	2026-11-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-11-30 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2023-02-24