Middle Meningeal Artery Embolisation in Chronic Subdural Hematoma (EMMA-CS)

November 4, 2026 updated by: University Hospital Hradec Kralove

Prospective Multicentric Study of Middle Meningeal Artery Embolisation Combined With Surgical Treatment for Chronic Subdural Hematoma

This international multicenter study evaluates the efficacy and safety of middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) using PVA particles or liquid embolic agents as a perioperative treatment to prevent the recurrence of chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH). All participating patients across centers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia will receive the minimally invasive MMAE procedure within 7 days prior to or after surgical evacuation, with the primary goal of assessing hematoma recurrence rates and procedure-related complications over a 90-day follow-up period.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
200

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Czechia
      • Hradec Králové, Czechia, 500 05
        • Recruiting
        • University Hospital Hradec Kralove
        • Contact:
      • Liberec, Czechia
        • Recruiting
        • Hospital Liberec
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
          • Miroslav Sercl
      • Olomouc, Czechia, 77909
      • Prague, Czechia, 16902
        • Recruiting
        • The Military University Hospital Prague
        • Contact:
      • Prague, Czechia
      • České Budějovice, Czechia

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older.
  • Diagnosis of a symptomatic or asymptomatic chronic or subacute subdural hematoma (cSDH) confirmed by neuroimaging (CT or MRI).
  • Hematoma thickness of 5 mm or greater at its widest point on baseline neuroimaging.
  • Patient is managed either conservatively or via standard surgical evacuation (e.g., burr-hole craniostomy) where MMAE is planned as a standalone or adjunctive treatment.
  • Written informed consent provided by the patient or a legally authorized representative.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute subdural hematoma requiring emergency surgical decompression due to severe neurological deficit with signs of impending herniation.
  • Evidence of an active intracranial infection or sepsis.
  • Known vascular malformation, aneurysm, or dural arteriovenous fistula as the source of the hematoma.
  • Severe uncorrectable coagulopathy or bleeding disorder (e.g., platelet count <50,000/µL or INR >2.0 that cannot be safely corrected before the procedure).
  • Severe renal impairment (e.g., eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73m²) or known severe allergy to iodinated contrast media (unless adequate premedication is possible).
  • Life expectancy of less than 3 months due to severe comorbid conditions.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intervention Arm

Patients with chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) who undergo middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE). This procedure is performed either as a standalone treatment or as an adjunct to surgical evacuation, based on clinical indication.
Device: Middle Meningeal Artery Embolisation

Endovascular occlusion of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) performed under fluoroscopic guidance. The procedure aims to devascularize the chronic subdural hematoma membrane to promote hematoma resorption and prevent recurrence.
No Intervention: Standard Care Arm

Patients with chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) who receive standard clinical care without undergoing middle meningeal artery embolization. This includes standard surgical evacuation (burr-hole craniostomy) or conservative management (observation, medication) based on current guidelines.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rate of hematoma recurrence or treatment failure requiring surgical evacuation
Time Frame: Up to 90 days post-enrollment.

The proportion of participants who experience a symptomatic or radiologically confirmed recurrence or progression of chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) in the target hemisphere that requires surgical intervention (or re-operation for surgically treated patients) within the follow-up period.
Up to 90 days post-enrollment.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of periprocedural and postprocedural complications
Time Frame: During hospitalization, up to 7 days post-procedure

Safety outcomes evaluating complications related to the middle meningeal artery embolisation (MMAE) procedure or the embolic material. This includes technical failure, ischemic stroke, new intracranial hemorrhage, facial nerve palsy, visual impairment, local arterial access site complications (e.g., hematoma, pseudoaneurysm), or severe allergic reactions to contrast media.
During hospitalization, up to 7 days post-procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University Hospital Hradec Kralove

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 3, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • FN HK
  • Internal academic grant (Other Identifier: University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) including baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, neuroimaging metrics (hematoma thickness and volume), procedural details of middle meningeal artery embolisation, and follow-up clinical and radiological outcomes will be shared. Only data that underlie the results reported in the final published article will be made available.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will become available beginning 6 months after the primary publication of the study results and will remain accessible for 36 months following publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Anonymized data will be shared with qualified academic researchers upon reasonable request. Requests must include a scientifically sound research proposal and a statistical analysis plan. Proposals will be reviewed and approved by the principal investigators of the study. Data will be shared strictly for the purpose of meta-analysis or independent verification of the results via secure data transfer.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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