NCT04237064

Photoacoustic Imaging of Atherosclerotic Plaques

Status unknown Last updated 22 January 2020

What this trial tests

trial testing Photoacoustic imaging in Carotid Artery Plaque in 30 participants. Status unknown.

Timeline

2 February 2019

Primary endpoint
1 December 2020

31 December 2020

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Marc van Sambeek
Status	Status unknown
Study type	OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment	30
Start date	2 February 2019
Primary completion	1 December 2020
Estimated completion	31 December 2020
Sites	1 location across Netherlands

Drugs / interventions tested

• Photoacoustic imaging

Conditions studied

• Carotid Artery Plaque — all drugs for Carotid Artery Plaque →

Sponsor

Marc van Sambeek

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Carotid Artery Plaque. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Stenotic carotid arteries can lead to stroke if the cause of the stenosis is a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque. Recent studies reveal that if a patient has a plaque in the carotid artery it is highly probable that he/she will develop plaques in other superficial arteries like the femoral artery. Currently, duplex ultrasound is used to determine the grade of stenosis and is the main criterion for intervention (endarterectomy) planning. However, the stability, or instability of the plaque cannot be determined non-invasively. Photoacoustics is a novel, non-invasive imaging modality that uses pulsed laser light to generate laser induced ultrasound in the absorbing region of the tissue. Photoacoustic imaging provides optical contrast of biological tissue chromophores with an acoustic resolution and imaging depth, which is promising for visualization of plaque composition. The advantage of photoacoustics is the use of multiple wavelengths, since different tissues respond differently to different wavelengths. Hence, non-invasive, in vivo, morphology assessment is a future application of this new modality that would improve diagnosis and clinical decision making. The drawback is the limited penetration depth of the laser light and the signals generated by surrounding tissue.

A new, integrated photoacoustic device has been developed that meets all safety requirements and has an improved penetration depth, suitable for imaging of carotid arteries with the aim to distinguish between plaques with different morphology.

Publications & conference data

2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Nanoparticle theranostics in cardiovascular inflammation.
   MacRitchie N, Di Francesco V, Ferreira MFMM, Guzik TJ, et al · · 2021 · cited 16× · PMID 34862118 · DOI 10.1016/j.smim.2021.101536
2. Nanoparticles as a Novel Platform for Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis and Therapy.
   Tang C, Zhou K, Wu D, Zhu H. · · 2024 · cited 12× · PMID 39220195 · DOI 10.2147/ijn.s474888