This Prospective Observational Study Aims to Evaluate the Capability of Ultra-high-resolution Photon-counting CT Angiography (UHR PCD-CTA) for Noninvasive Evaluation of Intracranial Venous Sinus Stents. The Study Will Compare Image Quality, Stent Visualization, Metal-related Artifacts, and Diagnosti

August 19, 2026 updated by: Xin Lou

Evaluation of Ultra-High-Resolution Photon-Counting CT Angiography for Intracranial Venous Sinus Stent Assessment

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ultra-high-resolution photon-counting CT angiography (UHR PCD-CTA) for noninvasive assessment of intracranial venous sinus stents. The study will compare image quality, stent visualization, metal-related artifacts, and diagnostic accuracy between PCD-CTA and conventional energy-integrating detector CT angiography (EID-CTA).

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

Intracranial venous sinus stenting has become an important treatment option for patients with symptomatic venous sinus stenosis, particularly those with idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Accurate imaging follow-up after stent placement is essential for evaluating stent patency, recurrent stenosis, and potential complications such as in-stent thrombosis or occlusion.

Conventional CT angiography (CTA) is commonly used for noninvasive follow-up after venous sinus stent implantation; however, accurate assessment of stented venous sinuses remains challenging due to metal-related artifacts. Blooming artifact caused by the high attenuation of metallic stent material may result in overestimation of stent thickness and obscuration of the stent lumen. In addition, beam-hardening artifacts from the stent and adjacent skull structures may further degrade image quality and reduce diagnostic confidence, potentially limiting the ability of CTA to detect clinically significant restenosis or thrombotic complications.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

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

Name: Jinhao Lyu, MD
Phone Number: +8615903562929
Email: 330322990@qq.com

Study Contact Backup

Name: Jinying He
Email: 1527012389@qq.com

Study Locations

China
- Beijing Municipality
  - Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100853
    - Recruiting
    - Chinese PLA General Hospital
    - Contact:
      
      Jinhao Lyu, MD
      
      Phone Number: +8615903562929
      
      Email: 330322990@qq.com
    - Contact:
      
      Jinying He
      
      Phone Number: +8613854153820
      
      Email: 1527012389@qq.com

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

Ages Eligible for Study

Adult
Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with symptomatic intracranial venous sinus stenosis

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Adults aged ≥18 years.
History of intracranial venous sinus stent implantation.
Undergoing follow-up contrast-enhanced CT angiography after stent -placement.
Available clinical and imaging data.

Exclusion Criteria:

Severe motion artifacts affecting image interpretation.
Contraindication to iodinated contrast media.
Severe renal impairment preventing contrast-enhanced CT examination.
Incomplete imaging data.
Other conditions preventing reliable assessment of the venous sinus stent.

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

Number of groups / cohorts

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Patients With Intracranial Venous Sinus Stenosis Patients with symptomatic intracranial venous sinus stenosis who underwent CT angiography before and after venous sinus stent implantation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Agreement between UHR PCD-CTA and DSA for intracranial venous sinus stent patency Time Frame: 1-4 years	Agreement between ultra-high-resolution photon-counting detector CT angiography (UHR PCD-CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for the assessment of intracranial venous sinus stent patency will be quantified using Cohen's kappa (κ) coefficient. Stent patency will be classified according to the predefined diagnostic criteria, with DSA serving as the reference standard.	1-4 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Signal-to-noise ratio on UHR PCD-CTA Time Frame: 1-4years	Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) will be calculated using CT attenuation and image noise measurements obtained from predefined regions of interest on UHR PCD-CTA images.	1-4years

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Xin Lou

Investigators

Study Chair: Xin Lou, Chinese PLA General Hospital

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)

January 7, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 7, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 7, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria