Clot retrieval devices proven to benefit brain attack patients: Results of the MR CLEAN landmark Trial.

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Breaking news shared during the recent annual meeting of the SVIN, November 6-9, 2014, in Hollywood, Florida was confirmed on Thursday with the publication of the results of the MR CLEAN trial in the New England Journal of Medicine, a landmark clinical trial proving that catheter-based endovascular stroke therapy is safe and effective for stroke patients with large vessel occlusions in the early hours after a stroke.

A stroke is a "heart attack of the brain", and is otherwise called a "brain attack" and affects nearly 20.5 million people worldwide. Majority of the strokes are due to a blood clot causing an occlusion of a large vessel supplying the brain cells. "Majority of the stroke patients with large vessel occlusions will either die or become disabled for life despite clot dissolving medications. It is essential to have cutting-edge clot retrieval devices for brain attacks," says Dr. Janardhan, Principal Investigator of the FIRST study, a natural history study on outcomes in stroke patients.

MR CLEAN trial (n=500 patients) evaluated cutting-edge clot retrieval devices for stroke patients with large vessel occlusions. MR CLEAN has proven that newer generation clot retrieval devices including retrievable stents plus usual medical care (32.6% functional independence) is more effective in stroke patients compared to medications or usual medical care alone (19.1% functional independence). Similar landmark trials in the 1990's transformed heart attack care from medications alone to primary coronary intervention (PCI) using balloon angioplasty and stenting to open up blocked coronary vessels. "MR CLEAN is a ground breaking trial and the results will undoubtedly change the way we treat brain attacks moving forward," reiterates Dr. Jovin, President of the SVIN.

About the Society of Vascular & Interventional Neurology:

Stroke and Critical Care Neurologists performing catheter-based endovascular interventions including clot retrieval are now an integral part of the multidisciplinary field of Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology (aka Interventional Neurology). This burgeoning group of interventional neurologists formed a new neurological society called "SVIN" in August 2006. The founding members of SVIN felt that the formation of the society would help pursue the group's mission: To promote excellence in the field of interventional treatment of neurovascular diseases by neurologists.  For further information, please visit www.svin.org.

Media Contact: Janel Fick, Executive Director
Society of Vascular & Interventional Neurology (SVIN)
Telephone: (952) 646-2045
Email: [email protected] 
Website: www.svin.org

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SOURCE Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology