Evidence mapPaperPMID 41932154Full record

Trial reportNeurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics2026

Feasibility and safety of vertebrobasilar artery cooling infusion (VACI) following thrombectomy for acute posterior circulation ischemic stroke: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Zhe Cheng, Yuchuan Ding, Gary Rajah, Jie Gao, Fenghai Li, Linlin Ma, Jing Liu, Xiaokun Geng

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Zhe ChengDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Intervention & Translational Center (SITC), Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Yuchuan DingDepartment of Neurosurgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA. Electronic address: yding@med.wayne.edu.
Gary RajahNeurosurgery and Neurovascular Surgery, Director of Comprehensive Stroke Center, Munson Medical Center, Traverse City, MI, USA.
Jie GaoDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Intervention & Translational Center (SITC), Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Fenghai LiDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Intervention & Translational Center (SITC), Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Linlin MaDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Intervention & Translational Center (SITC), Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Jing LiuDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Intervention & Translational Center (SITC), Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Xiaokun GengDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Intervention & Translational Center (SITC), Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA; Luhe Institute of Neuroscience, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 101100, China. Electronic address: xgeng@ccmu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Not all patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) benefit from endovascular therapy (EVT), particularly in the posterior circulation. This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of vertebrobasilar artery cooling infusion (VACI) administered after successful recanalization as a neuroprotective strategy for posterior circulation AIS. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to VACI or control. The VACI group received 300 mL of 4 °C saline infused into the vertebral artery at 30 mL/min after thrombectomy, whereas controls received 300 mL of 37 °C saline. All patients received standard guideline-based care. The primary endpoint was symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Secondary endpoints included functional outcomes, infarct volume, mortality, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), vasospasm, coagulation abnormalities, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection. VACI following EVT appears safe and feasible in posterior circulation AIS and may offer potential neuroprotective benefit. Forty patients were enrolled and analyzed. The incidence of sICH did not differ between groups. Rates of neurological deterioration and other complications were comparable. Favorable trends were observed in the VACI group, including improved early neurological recovery (median NIHSS 6 vs. 12.5) and smaller final infarct volume (9.0 vs. 17.5 mL). Mortality was numerically lower in the VACI group at 90 days (10.0% vs. 20.0%) and at 7 days (5.0% vs. 20.0%). Although differences were not statistically significant, outcomes consistently favored VACI. VACI following EVT appears safe and feasible in posterior circulation AIS and may offer potential neuroprotective benefit.

Indexed as

Hypothermia, InducedIschemic StrokeThrombectomyVertebral ArteryAgedAged, 80 and overFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansInfusions, Intra-ArterialMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsTreatment OutcomeEndovascular therapyLarge vessel occlusionNeuroprotectionSelective hypothermiaStroke outcomes

Identifiers

PMID41932154
PMCPMC13084649

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.