Clinical Trial

Cardiac Assessment for Thrombus Detection in the Heart Using Advanced Imaging (MRI, CT) in ESUS With Left Ventricular Disease

Study acronym: CATCH ME
Recruiting
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Summary
The CATCH ME study is a prospective, multicenter, observational, no-profit study aimed at improving embolic risk stratification in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS), particularly in those with left ventricular disease (LVD). LVD is defined by a mildly to moderately reduced ejection fraction (30-49%), left ventricular wall motion abnormalities (hypo/akinesia), ventricular dilation, cardiomyopathies, and other related conditions. In these patients, the intermittent formation of intracardiac thrombi within the ventricle, often undetectable by standard diagnostic evaluation such as transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) alone, may serve as an unrecognized embolic source. However, in clinical practice, such patients are frequently discharged on antiplatelet therapy alone, without adequate thromboembolic risk stratification, thus leaving them at a high risk of ischemic recurrence. This study aims to assess the additional diagnostic value of advanced cardiac imaging - Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMRI) and/or Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) - in detecting intracardiac thrombi not identified by TTE in patients with ESUS and LVD.
Trial Details
NCT Number NCT07298122
Lead Sponsor Niguarda Hospital
Conditions Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke
Enrollment 125 participants
Start Date 2025-09-15
Primary Completion 2028-09-15 (estimated)
Study Completion 2028-12-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov 2025-12-23