Left Atrial Strain and Cryptogenic Stroke

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Ischemic Stroke, Cryptogenic, Ischemic Stroke, Embolic, Hemorrhagic Stroke, Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source, Recurrent Ischemic Stroke

In brief

Cryptogenic stroke is a type of stroke in which the cause of the blood clot cannot be identified, leaving many patients without a clear treatment plan and at high risk for another stroke. Current medical guidelines recommend blood-thinning medication (anticoagulation) only when atrial fibrillation (AF) -an irregular heart rhythm- can be documented. However, AF may occur silently and remain undetected. Long term implantable (placed invasively under the skin) devices may be needed to capture these episodes. AF is known to develop from disease of the left atrium, the upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the lungs. When the left atrium does not contract normally, blood flow may slow down, increasing the risk of clot formation. Nowadays, the left atrial (LA) function can be quantified precisely using a noninvasive ultrasound technique called strain imaging. This study aims to determine whether reduced LA function is associated with cryptogenic stroke and its recurrence even when AF is not observed. If such an association is confirmed, LA strain could serve as a new biomarker to identify patients at risk, earlier than the development of overt AF, enhance preventive measures to reduce recurrent strokes. Because echocardiographic strain imaging is safe, cost-effective, and widely available, it may become an important tool for improving care in this high-risk population.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07224178

Run by

University of Pittsburgh

People needed

900

Starts

2025-12-17

Expected to finish

2027-12-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-01-07

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adult patients (age > 18 years and < 80 years) who had a complete transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) exam at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Presbyterian Echocardiography Lab with a referral diagnosis of suspected stroke.
• 2- Patients with an established diagnosis of stroke by stroke neurologists.
• 3- Patients in sinus rhythm documented at the time of referral.
• 4- Availability of adequate echocardiographic images for strain quantification.
• 5- Clinical follow-up data available for evaluation of study endpoints, including stroke recurrence, atrial fibrillation development, and mortality.
• 6- Patients from collaborating centers will be included with de-identified echocardiographic images and clinical data meeting the above criteria.

You may not qualify if…

• Incomplete or technically difficult transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) studies and studies from subjects younger than 18 years of age will be excluded. Additional exclusion criteria include:
• 1- Pre-existing atrial fibrillation (AF): Patients with a documented history AF prior to the index echocardiography study will be excluded because it is well established that AF justifies cryptogenic stroke requiring anticoagulation.
• 2 -Structural heart disease: Patients with significant structural abnormalities, such as moderate or severe mitral stenosis, moderate or severe mitral regurgitation, prosthetic heart valves, devices in the left atrium, atrial septal defect or patent foramen ovale will be excluded as these conditions are known causes of stroke and abnormal left atrial function.
• 3- Coagulopathy: Patient having disease leading to hypercoagulable (thrombus formation) state will be excluded (presence of cancer, antiphospholipid antibodies, hematological diseases).
• 4- Inadequate clinical follow-up: Patients with insufficient follow-up data or missing medical records that preclude evaluation of study endpoints (e.g., stroke recurrence, AF development) will be excluded unless death is documented.
• 5- Poor image quality for strain analysis: Patients having echo exams with inadequate image quality that prevent reliable strain quantification will be excluded.

Where it is running

• UPMC Presbyterian — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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