NCT03121209

Brief Summary

We aim to determine whether cognitive impairment attributable to cerebral hemodynamic impairment in patients with high-grade asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis is reversible with restoration of flow. To accomplish this aim CREST-H will add on to the NINDS-sponsored CREST-2 trial (parallel, outcome-blinded Phase 3 clinical trials for patients with asymptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis which will compare carotid endarterectomy plus intensive medical management (IMM) versus IMM alone (n=1,240), and carotid artery stenting plus IMM versus IMM alone (n=1,240) to prevent stroke and death). CREST-H addresses the intriguing question of whether cognitive impairment can be reversed when it arises from abnormal cerebral hemodynamic perfusion in a hemodynamically impaired subset of the CREST-2 -randomized patients. We will enroll 385 patients from CREST-2, all of whom receive cognitive assessments at baseline and yearly thereafter. We anticipate identifying 100 patients with hemodynamic impairment as measured by an inter-hemispheral MRI perfusion "time to peak" (TTP) delay on the side of stenosis. Among those who are found to be hemodynamically impaired and have baseline cognitive impairment, the cognitive batteries at baseline and at 1 year will determine if those with flow failure who are randomized to a revascularization arm in CREST-2 will have better cognitive outcomes than those in the medical-only arm compared with this treatment difference for those who have no flow failure. We hypothesize that hemodynamically significant "asymptomatic" carotid disease may represent one of the few examples of treatable causes of cognitive impairment. If cognitive decline can be reversed in these patients, then we will have established a new indication for carotid revascularization independent of the risk of recurrent stroke.

Trial Health

78
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
385

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for phase_3

Timeline
15mo left

Started Jan 2018

Longer than P75 for phase_3

Geographic Reach
2 countries

58 active sites

Status
active not recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress87%
Jan 2018Jul 2027

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 14, 2017

Completed
6 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 20, 2017

Completed
9 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 18, 2018

Completed
9 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

January 31, 2027

Expected
6 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 31, 2027

Last Updated

September 26, 2025

Status Verified

September 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

9 years

First QC Date

April 14, 2017

Last Update Submit

September 23, 2025

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Cognitive score at 1 year

    Change in composite cognitive Z-score at 1 year will be computed from the cognitive battery of the Carotid Revascularization and Medical Management for Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis Trial (CREST-2; NCT02089217). Range: -2.0 to 2.0. Positive Z-score change indicates improvement; negative Z-score change indicates worsening.

    1 year

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • MRI-determined silent infarcts present at 1 year that were not present at baseline.

    1 year

  • Change from baseline of White matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume as measured by T2 FLAIR sequence on brain MRI.

    1 year

Other Outcomes (3)

  • Cognitive score beyond 1 year

    2, 3, and 4 years

  • Correlation between change in cognition at 1 year, as measured in Outcome 1, and change in brain blood flow at 1 year as measured by time-to-peak (TTP) perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) by MRI or computed tomography (CT).

    1 year

  • Correlation of between change in cognition at 1 year and change in brain blood flow using other MRI PWI markers (CBF, CBV, Tmax).

    1 year

Study Arms (2)

Revascularization Arm (CEA or CAS)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

These patients will have been randomized (via the parent trial, CREST-2) to receive intensive medical management as well as either Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA--if they are in the parent study Surgical trial) or Carotid Artery Stenting (CAS--if they are in the parent study Stenting trial).

Procedure: Revascularization

Intensive Medical Management (IMM) Arm

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

These patients will have been randomized (via the parent trial, CREST-2) to receive medical management only, which includes aspirin. high dose cholesterol lowering agent to a target LDL\<70, intensive blood pressure management to target \<130/80, smoking cessation, and diabetic control.

Other: Intensive Medical Management (IMM) alone

Interventions

Patients in this arm are randomized to CEA/CAS plus IMM

Revascularization Arm (CEA or CAS)

Patients in this arm are randomized to intensive medical management (IMM) alone

Intensive Medical Management (IMM) Arm

Eligibility Criteria

Age35 Years - 86 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Enrolled and randomized into CREST-2 (parent study)
  • age 35-86

You may not qualify if:

  • unable to undergo MRI (e.g. metal in body, pacemaker)
  • known allergy gadolinium contrast dye
  • pre-existing diagnosis of dementia
  • contralateral ICA stenosis \>70% by MRA, CTA or Doppler ultrasound
  • history of severe head trauma
  • major depression
  • education less than 8 years

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (58)

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States

Location

Huntsville Hospital/ Heart Center Research Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama, 35801, United States

Location

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center/ Barrow

Phoenix, Arizona, 85013, United States

Location

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona, 85724, United States

Location

Central Arkansas Veteran's Healthcare System

Little Rock, Arkansas, 72143, United States

Location

Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center

Los Angeles, California, 90027, United States

Location

Keck Medical Center of University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California, 90033, United States

Location

University of California at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States

Location

Kaiser Permanente

San Diego, California, 92123, United States

Location

University of California San Diego

San Diego, California, 92182, United States

Location

San Francisco VA Medical Center

San Francisco, California, 94121, United States

Location

Stanford University Medical Center

Stanford, California, 94305, United States

Location

Yale New Haven Hospital

New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, United States

Location

Morton Plant Hospital

Clearwater, Florida, 33756, United States

Location

University of Florida Health at Shands

Gainesville, Florida, 32610, United States

Location

Mayo Clinic Florida

Jacksonville, Florida, 322224, United States

Location

University of Miami Hospital

Miami, Florida, 33136, United States

Location

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

Location

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois, 60208, United States

Location

Mercy Health Riverside

Rockford, Illinois, 61114, United States

Location

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States

Location

Ochsner Health System

New Orleans, Louisiana, 70121, United States

Location

Maine Medical Center

Portland, Maine, 04102, United States

Location

University of Maryland VA

Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States

Location

Adventist HealthCare/White Oak Medical Center

Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20878, United States

Location

Michigan Vascular Center/McLaren-Flint

Flint, Michigan, 48532, United States

Location

Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology, Ltd./ North Memorial Medical Center

Golden Valley, Minnesota, 55422, United States

Location

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States

Location

Mayo Clinic Rochester

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States

Location

Mercy Hospital St Louis

St Louis, Missouri, 63141, United States

Location

SUNY Buffalo

Buffalo, New York, 14203, United States

Location

New York Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center

New York, New York, 10032, United States

Location

Weill Cornell Medical Center

New York, New York, 10065, United States

Location

Novant Health Forsythe

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27103, United States

Location

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

Location

Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States

Location

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States

Location

Ohio State Medical Center

Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States

Location

Ohio Health Research Institute

Columbus, Ohio, 43214,, United States

Location

UPMC Altoona

Altoona, Pennsylvania, 16601, United States

Location

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

UPMC Presbyterian University Hospital

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

Location

The Miriam Hospital/ Rhode Island Hospital

Providence, Rhode Island, 02906, United States

Location

Medical University of South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States

Location

North Central Heart Institute

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57108, United States

Location

Tennova Healthcare/ Turkey Creek Medical Center

Knoxville, Tennessee, 37934, United States

Location

Houston Methodist Hospital

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

Location

Intermountain Medical Center

Murray, Utah, 84107, United States

Location

University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84132, United States

Location

University of Virginia Health System

Charlottesville, Virginia, 22908, United States

Location

Inova Fairfax Health Care

Falls Church, Virginia, 22042, United States

Location

Overlake Hospital Medical Center

Bellevue, Washington, 98004, United States

Location

University of Washington Medicine-Harborview Medical Center

Seattle, Washington, 98104, United States

Location

VA Puget Sound Health Care System

Seattle, Washington, 98108, United States

Location

Gundersen Clinic, Ltd

La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601, United States

Location

University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics

Madison, Wisconsin, 53792, United States

Location

Vancouver General Hospital

Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 1M9, Canada

Location

St. Boniface Hospital

Winnipeg, Manitoba, MB R2H 2A6, Canada

Location

Related Publications (2)

  • Marshall RS, Lazar RM, Liebeskind DS, Connolly ES, Howard G, Lal BK, Huston J 3rd, Meschia JF, Brott TG. Carotid revascularization and medical management for asymptomatic carotid stenosis - Hemodynamics (CREST-H): Study design and rationale. Int J Stroke. 2018 Dec;13(9):985-991. doi: 10.1177/1747493018790088. Epub 2018 Aug 22.

    PMID: 30132751BACKGROUND
  • Marshall RS, Liebeskind DS, Iii JH, Edwards LJ, Howard G, Meschia JF, Brott TG, Lal BK, Heck D, Lanzino G, Sangha N, Kashyap VS, Morales CD, Cotton-Samuel D, Rivera AM, Brickman AM, Lazar RM. Cortical Thinning in High-Grade Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis. J Stroke. 2023 Jan;25(1):92-100. doi: 10.5853/jos.2022.02285. Epub 2023 Jan 3.

    PMID: 36592969BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Carotid StenosisCognitive Dysfunction

Interventions

Single Person

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Carotid Artery DiseasesCerebrovascular DisordersBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesNervous System DiseasesArterial Occlusive DiseasesVascular DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesCognition DisordersNeurocognitive DisordersMental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Marital StatusFamily CharacteristicsDemographyPopulation CharacteristicsSocioeconomic Factors

Study Officials

  • Randolph S Marshall, MD

    Columbia University

    STUDY CHAIR
  • Ronald M Lazar, PhD

    University of Alabama at Birmingham

    STUDY DIRECTOR
  • E Sander Connolly, MD

    Columbia University

    STUDY DIRECTOR
  • David S Liebeskind, MD

    University of California, Los Angeles

    STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 3
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Masking Details
single blind by outcomes assessor
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: Phase 3 prospective blinded outcome randomized clinical trial
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor of Neurology

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 14, 2017

First Posted

April 20, 2017

Study Start

January 18, 2018

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2027

Last Updated

September 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

To share individual participant data (IPD) of baseline characteristics, follow up, outcomes, etc. based on NIH/NINDS requirements.

Shared Documents
STUDY PROTOCOL
Time Frame
As per NIH/NINDS requirements.
Access Criteria
All items required by NIH/NINDS will be publicly shared.

Locations