An interventional study of MRI in Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease (ICAD) and Vasculitis, sponsored by Assiut University. Not yet recruiting. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-04.
Sponsored by Assiut University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic
This work aims to clarify the diagnostic ability of vessel wall MRI to differentiate between intracranial atherosclerotic disease and vasculitis as causes of ischemic stroke, thereby guiding appropriate treatment and improving patient outcomes.
Intracranial arterial diseases, such as intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) and vasculitis, are major contributors to ischemic stroke globally. Differentiating these conditions, which is critical for effective clinical management given their distinct pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic requirements. Traditional imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), computed tomography angiography (CTA), and digital subtraction angiography (DSA), predominantly assess the arterial lumen, detecting stenosis or occlusion. While valuable for identifying luminal abnormalities, these techniques often fail to characterize the vessel wall pathology, a key limitation in distinguishing between ICAD and vasculitis. Both conditions can manifest with similar clinical presentations of ischemic stroke, rendering diagnosis challenging with conventional methods.
Vessel wall magnetic MRI has emerged as an effective diagnostic tool. This non-invasive technique directly visualizes and characterizes the intracranial arterial wall, providing detailed information on wall thickening patterns, contrast enhancement characteristics, and plaque morphology. Current strategies show ability of vessel wall MRI to differentiate Intracranial atherosclerotic disease, typically presenting with eccentric wall thickening and eccentric enhancement if the atherosclerotic plaque is active and no enhancement if the atherosclerotic plaque is inactive, from vasculitis, which often exhibits circumferential wall thickening and enhancement.
The rationale for utilizing vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging stems from the need to move beyond mere luminal assessment to a more granular, tissue-level understanding of cerebrovascular disease. This advanced characterization facilitates precise diagnosis, guides appropriate treatment decisions-such as antiplatelet therapy for intracranial atherosclerotic disease versus immunosuppression for vasculitis-and ultimately aims to improve patient outcomes following ischemic stroke.
170 studies on the registry are indexed under Vasculitis; 46 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 46 is below the median of 58 across 87 interventional studies indexed under Vasculitis.
Browse Vasculitis studies →Assiut University is the lead sponsor of 5,078 studies on the registry; 2,178 are open to participants now.
Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
for MRI such as claustrophobia, heart pacemaker and ferromagnetic implants.
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Device: MRI
Vessel wall MRI in differentiation between intracranial atherosclerotic disease and vasculitis as causes of ischemic stroke
Role of vessel wall MRI in differentiation between intracranial atherosclerotic disease and vasculitis as causes of ischemic stroke by detection of eccentric or circumferential arterial wall thickening and pattern of postcontrast enhancement.
Vessel wall MR sequences including T1 pre and post contrast in order to differentiate between intracranial atherosclerotic plaque and vasculitis and to assess atherosclerotic plaque activity by detection of eccentric or circumferential arterial wall thickening and pattern of postcontrast enhancement. According to previous studies, if there is enhancing eccenteric arterial wall thickening, it considered active athrosclerotic plaque, if there is non enhancing eccenteric aretrial wall thickening, it considered inactive atherosclerotic plaque. If there is enhancing circumferential arterial wall thickening, it considered vasculitis
Time frame: Baseline
No study locations are listed for this record.
Start is estimated for Mar 2026; primary completion for Mar 2027, 12 months later.
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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Feb 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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