Stenting vs. Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis

This will be an investigator initiated and designed Phase III multicenter trial in which patients with TIA or non-disabling stroke within 30 days prior to enrollment that is caused by 70% - 99% stenosis of a major intracranial artery (MCA, carotid, vertebral, or basilar) will be randomized (1:1) at approximately 50 sites to: intensive medical therapy alone (aspirin 325 mg / day for entire follow-up, clopidogrel 75mg per day for 90 days after enrollment unless cardiologist recommends continuing clopidogrel beyond 90 days for a cardiac indication, and aggressive risk factor management primarily targeting blood pressure \< 140 / 90 mm Hg (\< 130 / 80 if diabetic) and LDL \< 70 mg / dl) OR intracranial angioplasty and stenting using the Gateway balloon and Wingspan self-expanding nitinol stent (or any future FDA approved iterations of the balloon, stent, or the delivery systems) plus intensive medical therapy (aspirin 325 mg / day for entire follow-up, clopidogrel 75mg per day for 90 days after enrollment unless cardiologist recommends continuing clopidogrel beyond 90 days for a cardiac indication, and aggressive risk factor management primarily targeting blood pressure \< 140 / 90 mm Hg (\< 130 / 80 if diabetic) and LDL \< 70 mg / dl). Risk factor management will be performed by the study neurologist at each site who will be assisted by an innovative, evidence-based, educational, lifestyle modification program (INTERxVENT) that will be administered at regularly scheduled times to all patients throughout the study. All patients enrolled in the trial will be followed until the first of the following: 90 days after a primary endpoint, death, or the close-out visit in the trial, which will occur within a window from 60 days before March 31, 2012 to 30 days after March 31, 2013. Patients who do not die or have a primary endpoint during follow-up will be followed for 2-4.5 years.