Efficacy of Pentoxifylline on Cerebrovascular Function in Patients With Cerebral Small Vessel Disease(PERFORM)

This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) patients will be diagnosed according to STRIVE standards and randomized into the Pentoxifylline sustained-release tablet group and placebo group. The purpose of this trial is to assess the efficacy of Pentoxifylline sustained- release tablets on CSVD.

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a complex whole brain disease, which is a series of clinical, imaging, and pathological syndromes caused by various etiologies affecting small arteries, micro-arteries, capillaries, micro-venules, and small veins in the brain, and is a common clinical vascular disease of the brain, usually with insidious onset, slow progression, and some acute attacks. The incidence of CSVD is positively correlated with age. Studies have shown that in people aged 60 to 70 years, 87% had subcortical white matter lesions and 68% had periventricular white matter changes, whereas, in people aged 80 to 90 years, 100% had subcortical white matter changes and 95% had periventricular changes. The incidence of cerebral microhemorrhage is approximately 6% in the 45-50 years old population and up to 36% in the 80-year-old population. Pentoxifylline, a xanthine derivative, is mainly used for the improvement of cerebral circulation after ischemic cerebrovascular disease and for peripheral vascular disease, such as chronic occlusive vasculitis with intermittent claudication treatment. Pentoxifylline is a non-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor that increases intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) and activates protein kinase A31, playing an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, inhibition of platelet aggregation, and vasodilation. Pentoxifylline is a well-tolerated drug for improving peripheral blood flow disorders, primarily by increasing blood flow and increasing oxygenation of ischaemic tissues. In addition, it improves vasodilatation by increasing prostacyclin and has a specific effect on the immune response by inhibiting tumor necrosis factors. Patients meeting the enrollment criteria will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups with the use of a double-blind design (a dose of 1 tablet twice a day, from randomization to 6 months). Face-to-face interviews will be conducted at baseline, on day 30 after randomization, on day 90 after randomization, and on day 180 after randomization. The primary endpoint was the change in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and pulsatility index of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) after 6 months of treatment based on transcranial doppler (TCD) assessment of enrolled patients. The secondary endpoints include changes in clinical symptoms, MRI imaging markers (white matter hyperintensity, lacunes, microbleeds, enlarged perivascular space), and cognitive function at 6 months. The safety endpoints include moderate or severe hemorrhage events, symptomatic and asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, overall mortality, and serious adverse events.