Remote Ischemic Conditioning for Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis

Results of a large, randomized trial were neutral, but the ability to detect a potential treatment effect was diluted by low compliance with the intervention.

Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is associated with high risk for recurrent stroke even with aggressive medical management. Remote ischemic conditioning is intended to enhance ischemic tolerance in the brain and thereby modify stroke risk. These investigators report results of the largest study of remote ischemic conditioning for ICAS to date. A total of 3033 patients from 84 centers in China aged 40 to 80 years old with a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) attributable to 50%–99% stenosis of a major intracranial artery were randomized to remote ischemic conditioning (5 cycles of inflating bilateral arm cuffs to 200 mm Hg for 5 minutes, then deflating for 5 minutes) or sham treatment (the same procedure but inflati…

Reviewing Author

Anthony S. Kim, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Anthony S. Kim, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Remote Ischemic Conditioning for Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis

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Reviewing Author