Large Stroke Therapy Evaluation (LASTE)

Evaluation of Acute Mechanical Revascularisation in Large Stroke (ASPECTS 0-5) With Large Vessel Occlusion Within 7 Hours After Stroke Onset or Last Known Well

Stroke represents the fourth leading cause of death in industrialized nations, after heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory disease. The overall burden of stroke will rise dramatically in the next 20 years due to an ageing population. Approximately one-quarter of the patients suffering a stroke die within one year after the initial event and stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability. Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) is a potentially devastating event, with a poor prognosis in the absence of timely revascularization. Whether in patients with large anterior circulation stroke, direct mechanical intervention is equally effective, superior or inferior to bridging thrombolysis remains a matter of debate.

Thus, this procedure, is now the recommended standard of care for selective patients with LVO in the anterior circulation. When performed with newer generation devices (mainly stent retrievers), more stringent imaging selection criteria and more efficient workflow than in previous trials, significantly reduces disability rates after AIS caused by LVO in the anterior circulation.

The STAIR (Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable) meeting aims to advance acute stroke therapy development through collaboration between academia, industry, and regulatory institutions. In pursuit of this goal and building on the available level I evidence of benefit from endovascular therapy (EVT) in large vessel occlusion stroke, STAIR IX consensus recommendations were developed that outline priorities for future research in EVT.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Stroke
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Best Medical Therapy; Procedure: Mechanical Thrombectomy

Detailed Description

The LASTE hypothesis is that patient harbouring a large ischemic core stroke at presentation, may still benefit from mechanical thrombectomy, given the very poor natural history of patient managed by a standalone medical therapy.

The threshold of ASPECTS 5 to set a benefit for treatment was inspired by initial large medical trials using IV t-PA25-27 (Samurai-CT ALBERTA Score IV cohort). In the paradigm of acute and complete reperfusion, radiographic infarct stroke volume may be partially reversible and thus the resulting final infarct may be smaller compared to the one in non-re-perfused patients who will consequently have poorer clinical outcomes. By now, large core patients defined as ASPECTS 0-5 were excluded from most randomized clinical trials resulting in a lack of unequivocal evidence of benefit in this patient population.

Analyses of several prospective cohorts suggest signals of benefit in favor of thrombectomy in patients with large baseline core. In the prospective cohort ETIS, LAPERGUE et al reported a rate of good outcome of 34% in the subgroup of patient with ASPECT 4-5. In the prospective cohort analysis RECOST, a mean mRS score of 34% in a group of patient presenting ASPECT 0-5 treated with mechanical thrombectomy, versus 9% of good outcome in the medical group, suggesting a benefit to treat LVO harbouring a large core. The strongest argument in favor of benefit of EVT even in patients with large core is provided by the six completed randomized endovascular stroke trials. These trials did prove that Combined Approach Mechanical + IV t-PA, is superior to standalone IV lytics, mRs score ≤ 2 ranging from 33% and up to 72%, but Large Core Infarction were largely excluded. Nonetheless a pooled analysis of these trials revealed that a minority of patients with large baseline core were still randomized. In MR CLEAN study, despite no exclusion criteria defined in the initial protocol, the median ASPECT score of the cohort was 9 out of 10. In SWIFT-PRIME study, the mean ASPECT score of the cohort was 7, and in REVASCAT study it was 6.8.

The LASTE protocol "Large Stroke Therapy Evaluation" aims to study the efficacy and safety of mechanical thrombectomy in the acute phase of cerebral infarction less than 7 hours for patients with a large volume of necrosis defined by a score ASPECT from 0 to 5. The patients will be followed 6 months after the stroke.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 335
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Montpellier, France, 34295
    • Hopital Gui de Chauliac

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion criteria:

1. Subject is ≥ 18 years old at inclusion (no upper age limit)
2. Clinical signs consistent with acute ischemic stroke with symptoms onset or TLKW ≤ 6.5 hours from randomization, or with negative FLAIR on MRI if TLSW is unknown, with treatment started within 7 hours.
3. Proven Large Ischemic Core defined as: ASPECT Score ≤ 5 on non-contrast CT or DWI-MRI, and in patients ≥ 80 years: ASPECT = 3 to 5 on non-contrast CT or DWI-MRI
4. Proved anterior circulation intracranial large vessel occlusion on CTA or MRA (intracranial ICA, M1, M1-M2). The MCA - M1 segment is defined as the first branch of the intracranial ICA which courses horizontally from its branching point off the ICA through the Sylvian fissure up to the first bifurcation distal to the lenticulo-striate arteries, in the Sylvian fissure. M2 is defined as the portions of the MCA distal to the first bifurcation or trifurcation, but prior to the second bifurcation.
5. Patient or patient's representative has received information about the study and has signed and dated the appropriate Informed Consent Form
6. Selection imaging performed ≤ 3 hours before randomization
7. Anticipated possibility to start the procedure (arterial access) within 30 minutes after randomization
8. Pre stroke mRS ≤ 1
9. Subjects receiving antiaggregant and/or anticoagulant agents (at any mode of administration) within the last 24 hours from screening are eligible for participation.
10. NIHSS > 6
11. For patients for whom thrombolytic therapy, such as IV t-PA, is indicated, such treatment is initiated as soon as possible and within the accepted clinical guidelines as measured from stroke symptom onset.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Known absence of vascular access.
2. Known contrast or endovascular product life-threatening allergy.
3. Female who is known to be pregnant or lactating at time of admission
4. Patient presents severe or fatal co-morbidities or life expectancy under 6 months that will likely interfere with the improvement or follow-up or that will render the procedure unlikely to benefit the patient.
5. Patient unable to present or be available for follow-up.
6. Pre-existing neurological or psychiatric disease that would confound the neurological or functional evaluations.
7. Evidence of vessel recanalization prior to randomization.
8. Seizures at stroke onset if it makes the diagnosis of stroke doubtful and precludes obtaining an accurate baseline NIHSS assessment.
9. Current participation in another investigational drug study.
10. Suspicion of aortic dissection based on medical history, clinical evaluation or/and imaging.
11. Major patients under guardianship.
12. Blood glucose < 50 mg/dL or > 400 mg/dL
13. Cr > 4.0 mg/dL, unless the patient is on dialysis
14. Platelet count < 50000/uL
15. INR > 3.0 or PTT > 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

Imaging Exclusion Criteria:

1. Isolated proximal cervical ICA occlusions or proximal cervical ICA occlusions with MCA-M1 or intracranial ICA occlusion requiring stent placement, and isolated M2 occlusions on the pre-randomization neuro-imaging
2. Evidence of intracranial hemorrhage on CT/MRI
3. Excessive tortuosity of cervical vessels on CTA/MRA that would likely result in unstable access platform
4. High Suspicion of underlying intracranial stenosis on CTA/MRA/DSA
5. Suspected cerebral vascular disease (e.g. vasculitis) based on medical history and CTA/MRA/DSA
6. Presumed calcified Embolus or Intracranial Stenosis decompensation
7. Intracranial stent implanted in the same vascular territory that would preclude the safe deployment/removal of the stentriever device
8. Occlusions in multiple vascular territories (e.g.: bilateral anterior circulation, or anterior circulation/vertebrobasilar system) confirmed on CTA/MRA/DSA.
9. Significant mass effect with midline shift as confirmed on CT/MRI
10. Any ipsilateral cervical ICA lesion (Tandem), that requires stent placement

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Best Medical Therapy (BMT); Best treatment medical probably associated to the rescue endovascular treatment in case of neurological deterioration	Other: Best Medical Therapy; The administration of medications is at the treating physician's discretion (for example intravenous fibrinolysis, anticoagulants or antiplatelet) according to local standards of care but may NOT include any intra-arterial therapies.
Other: Mechanical Thrombectomy (MT); Endovascular treatment (thrombectomy) associated with the best medical treatment	Procedure: Mechanical Thrombectomy; MT in the Experimental Arm can be performed with any thrombectomy (CE labeled) device usually used at study site. For the subjects randomized to the MT plus BMT arm start of treatment is defined as the date and time of groin puncture (arterial access).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Evaluation of patient's condition	Shift on the mRS at 90 days in experimental group vs the control group	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Evaluation of patient's condition	The degree of disability at 180 days (shift on the mRS combining scores of 5 and 6)	6 months
Evaluation of good functional outcome	Rate of patients with a good functional outcome at 90 days and 180 days, defined as mRS 0-2	3 and 6 months
Evaluation of functional outcome	Rate of patients with a favorable outcome at 90 and 180 days, defined as mRS 0-3	3 and 6 months
Evaluation of treatment effect	Distribution of utility weighted mRS (UW mRS) at 90 and 180 days	3 and 6 months
Evaluation of quality of life	Quality of life at 90 and 180 days assessed by EuroQol/EQ-5D	3 and 6 months
Evaluation of decompressive condition	Rate of patients with secondary decompressive craniectomy within 7 days	7 days
Evaluation of medical response	Rate of patients with "early good response" at Day 5-7/Discharge (whichever is earlier), defined as a NIHSS drop of ≥ 8 points from baseline or NIHSS score 0 or 1	Day 5-7 or discharge, whichever is earlier
Evaluation of medical condition	Change in infarct volumes on CT or MRI from baseline to 24 hours post randomization	1 day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Montpellier
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Vincent COSTALAT, PU-PH, Hopital Gui de Chauliac; Principal Investigator: Caroline ARQUIZAN, PH, Hopital Gui de Chauliac; Principal Investigator: Bertrand LAPERGUE, Hopital Foch; Principal Investigator: Tudor JOVIN, PU-PH, Cooper Neurological Institute

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Costalat V, Jovin TG, Albucher JF, Cognard C, Henon H, Nouri N, Gory B, Richard S, Marnat G, Sibon I, Di Maria F, Annan M, Boulouis G, Cardona P, Obadia M, Piotin M, Bourcier R, Guillon B, Godard S, Pasco-Papon A, Eker OF, Cho TH, Turc G, Naggara O, Velasco S, Lamy M, Clarencon F, Alamowitch S, Renu A, Suissa L, Brunel H, Gentric JC, Timsit S, Lamy C, Chivot C, Macian-Montoro F, Mounayer C, Ozkul-Wermester O, Papagiannaki C, Wolff V, Pop R, Ferrier A, Chabert E, Ricolfi F, Bejot Y, Lopez-Cancio E, Vega P, Spelle L, Denier C, Millan M, Arenillas JF, Mazighi M, Houdart E, Del Mar Freijo M, Duhamel A, Sanossian N, Liebeskind DS, Labreuche J, Lapergue B, Arquizan C; LASTE Trial Investigators. Trial of Thrombectomy for Stroke with a Large Infarct of Unrestricted Size. N Engl J Med. 2024 May 9;390(18):1677-1689. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2314063.
• Cody JT. Cross-reactivity of amphetamine analogues with Roche Abuscreen radioimmunoassay reagents. J Anal Toxicol. 1990 Jan-Feb;14(1):50-3. doi: 10.1093/jat/14.1.50.
• Costalat V, Lapergue B, Albucher JF, Labreuche J, Henon H, Gory B, Sibon I, Boulouis G, Cognard C, Nouri N, Richard S, Marnat G, Di Maria F, Annan M, Duhamel A, Cagnazzo F, Jovin T, Arquizan C; LASTE Trial Investigators. Evaluation of acute mechanical revascularization in large stroke (ASPECTS ⩽5) and large vessel occlusion within 7 h of last-seen-well: The LASTE multicenter, randomized, clinical trial protocol. Int J Stroke. 2024 Jan;19(1):114-119. doi: 10.1177/17474930231191033. Epub 2023 Jul 31.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 7, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 26, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): August 24, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 10, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 18, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): January 22, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 25, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Stroke; Large vessel occlusion; Mechanical thrombectomy; Proximal intracranial arterial occlusions
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Stroke
• Other Study ID Numbers: RECHMPL18_0173

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No