Grant: Project Grant

Acute ischemic stroke is due to a blockage of blood flow to the brain with often devastating outcomes. With our 2015 ESCAPE study, we helped to establish mechanical clot removal as a safe and effective treatment for patients with an obstruction of a major blood vessel, thereby greatly improving the lives of stroke patients. In that study, visualization of blood vessels was performed using an innovative imaging technique that we have invented and validated. With our improved understanding of acute ischemic stroke, and recent advances in technology, we want to further broaden acute stroke imaging and treatment, to better identify and treat interrupted blood flow of not only large, but also smaller vessels, thereby helping a greater number of stroke patients. To this end, we have initiated a large CIHR-funded study, ESCAPE-MeVO. This is a multinational undertaking with participating sites in Canada, the US and Europe. In the setting of acute stroke where time is the critical factor, it is crucial to have quick, easy to use, and validated imaging tools that allow for the detection of even small vessel occlusions, and selection of patients for mechanical clot removal. Through innovative research, we have developed and validated new imaging methods to improve visualization of these smaller obstructions and their effect on the surrounding brain tissue. The ESCAPE-MeVO study provides a unique opportunity to test and utilize these imaging improvements, which we aim to do in the proposed study, ESCAPE-OPTIMUS. It has the following goals: A) easy and automated detection of smaller-vessel blockages; and B) evaluation of their effect on the brain tissue. If successful, ESCAPE-OPTIMUS will provide physicians around the world with an imaging tool that allows them to easily and quickly detect small vessel occlusions, and helps to determine whether mechanical clot removal is effective these strokes due to small vessel blockages, thereby globally improving stroke patient outcomes.