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Left Atrial Strain and Cryptogenic Stroke

NCT07224178 · Status: RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 900

Last updated 2026-01-07

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

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.

Conditions

  • Ischemic Stroke, Cryptogenic
  • Ischemic Stroke, Embolic
  • Hemorrhagic Stroke
  • Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source
  • Recurrent Ischemic Stroke

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Pittsburgh

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Leyla E Sade, MD · University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-12-17
Primary Completion
2027-12-31
Completion
2027-12-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07224178 on ClinicalTrials.gov